Australia Test centre Matt King admits he has been embarrassed about his form for Warrington in the first half of the engage Super League season.

The 27-year-old former Melbourne Storm three-quarter was the most high-profile overseas recruit for Super League XIII and his arrival at the Halliwell Jones Stadium - along with fellow countrymen Michael Monaghan and Chris Hicks - was expected to turn the perennial under-achievers into serious title contenders.

But the Wolves are languishing in mid-table after 13 of the 27 games and King, who signed a four-year deal last July said at the time to be worth around £1.3million, has been a pale shadow of the player who terrorised defences in Australia's National Rugby League and helped Melbourne to victory in the 2007 Grand Final.

King, in an honest and refreshing interview on the eve of tomorrow's derby clash with Wigan, admits he has yet to find his form but is confident, especially with the arrival of summer, his fortunes and those of the team are about to change.

"I haven't been happy with my own form," he said. "I had a couple of bad games and then I started to feel the pressure. I lost a little bit of confidence because I was playing to a standard I was embarrassed about.

"I don't think I fully anticipated just how hard the move to England was going to be. I thought it was going to be a very easy transition packing up and moving from Melbourne, where I'd been for the past five years.

"But Australia is a long way away and the sun didn't want to come out for the first couple of months that I was here. Just getting used to another style of football was a bit tougher than I expected.

"But I've moved into a new place, the sun's out and my girlfriend is over here now. Any poor form from here on in has got to sit solely on my shoulders and I'm happy to accept that."

King is arguably the biggest overseas name in the British game behind Wigan stand-off Trent Barrett, against whom he will do battle in tomorrow's game at the JJB Stadium.

Barrett will cut short his stay for personal reasons when he returns to Sydney in October but King insists he will see out his contract with the Wolves.

"I didn't know about it but apparently there were a few rumours flying around that I had had enough of Warrington and was looking to move back to Australia," he said.

"But I made a commitment to Warrington and I'm not the kind of bloke to walk out on a contract.

"I've also made a lot of good mates here and I know Warrington are going to be successful in the future. That's going to happen sooner rather than later and I want to be a part of it.

"We're three months into the competition and I think everyone has just accepted that I'm here now and they don't expect the world out of myself or Mick Monaghan or Chris Hicks.

"If we do it as a team, then we'll be right. Hopefully the fans can be patient and we can turn it around pretty quickly."

King scored his second try for Warrington in their 32-20 win over Wigan at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in March but cannot recall much about it after being knocked unconscious by a swinging arm from full-back Richard Mathers.

The 6ft 4in Australian is relishing the prospect of another derby, however, and has come to appreciate the importance of a Wigan-Warrington clash.

"I learned pretty quickly in my time here that games against Wigan and St Helens are massive," he said.

"We've played St Helens three times and this will be my third game against Wigan, including the pre-season friendly. It's a great atmosphere every time I run out for these games and I can't wait for Friday night."

Leeds have a chance to open up a seven-point gap at the top of the table when they take on form team Wakefield at Headingley in tomorrow's other match.

The sixth-placed Wildcats have won their last six League and Cup matches and they will be aiming to atone for their heaviest defeat of the season, a 44-8 rout at home to the Rhinos in February.

Wakefield coach John Kear believes his side have the momentum but he is full of admiration for the defending champions.

"The first 40 minutes of that match in February was horrific and I put that in part down to us under-performing and Leeds performing at their absolute maximum," he said.

"At that point in time they were in irresistible form and it's credit to them that they've maintained some pretty good form.

"Everyone has been waiting for them to have a hiccup and they haven't had one yet. They've been really good and the signs are that they're going to be the team to beat throughout this year.

"We've a lot of different players in and we've made lots of improvement in lots of areas

"I think we're capable of beating anyone of any given day but I also think any other team is capable of beating us on any given day and I think that is what is making the competition so interesting and so open."

Leeds are able to rest teenagers Kallum Watkins, Ben Jones-Bishop and Danny Allan following the return of internationals Brent Webb, Ali Lauitiiti and Ryan Bailey but Wakefield, too, are gradually getting their injured players back.

Jamie Rooney and Tevita Leo Latu return for tomorrow's game but the Wildcats have suffered a blow with the loss of prop Adam Watene, who faces a three-month lay-off with a ruptured posteria cruciate knee ligament.

"We're putting out what I think is our strongest team for a number of weeks," said Kear.

"There are one or two players who feel a little unlucky and a little aggrieved but they've handled the disappointment very well and are still in there supporting the group."

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