Following his first game for his new club, Dragons recruit Tariq Sims delved into the difficulties over his departure from the Newcastle Knights.
Sims joined the Dragons on Wednesday and was immediately thrown into the deep end when coach Paul McGregor named him on the bench in the Dragons' eventual 10-point win over the Storm on Saturday evening.
Sims was mobbed by the media after his first Dragons showing and didn't beat around the bush when NRL.com asked him about his Knights departure.
"You know me, mate. I love Newcastle. I love the place and the people that are involved with the club," Sims said.
"But the club opted to go in a different direction. Things changed and they changed quickly.
"I'm going to miss my brothers up there but I'm happy and I know where I stand here with the Dragons. I'm looking forward to the future and what it holds."
When Sims initially signed with the Red V for 2017 three weeks ago, rumour was rife that he'd be released immediately in exchange for another Dragons player.
Yet Sims always expected to see out the season as a Knight, up until earlier last week when Newcastle gave him permission to depart early.
"I expected to see out the season there and I didn't want to leave. But a week is a long time in the NRL and it's happened the way it has," Sims said.
"When the green light was given it all happened really quickly. I had to pull my two kids and wife up out of Newcastle which was pretty tricky. But she's a great boss my missus so she's done really well.
"At the moment I'm hotel hopping. Any time you move the kids are up and they want to come play with you but it's all okay. Ask me in a week and I'll tell you something else, hopefully I'll find somewhere soon to call home."
Sims' performance against the Storm saw him produce 131 metres, 19 tackles and two tackle breaks in a mere half-hour stint – an admirable effort considering he managed just one training session with his new teammates.
"There's been long days, long nights studying the plays and obviously getting used to the way the boys get around the paddock but I'd like to think I applied myself pretty well and chipped in," he said.
"The captains' run was very productive. I learnt a lot there and I got a gist of where we wanted to go. I knew my role that I needed to play which was in the middles so all I had to do was catch, run and tackle which I think I did to the best of my ability."
Sims won't feature for the Dragons in Round 16 with a condition of his Knights release being he'd be unable to face the Knights next Saturday evening.
