New recruit, Paul Aiton, has revealed he wants to play out his career with the Cronulla Sharks- even before he's kicked a ball with the black, white and blue.

After moving to the Cronulla area with his girlfriend last month, the former Penrith Panther is ready to settle down in the Shire and start a fresh.

“I think I’m going to see out my career here… well I would like too,” he said.

“I’m really looking forward to playing under Ricky, all the boys have been great and the area has a very warm feel about it.

After undergoing off-season knee surgery, where his achilles tendon was successfully transplanted from a deceased person, Aiton will return to full training after Christmas and be ready to play in the Round One opener against the Melbourne Storm.

Although, the 24-year-old is warming to the fact he won’t be living in the ‘Rith’ anymore, it’s under coach Ricky Stuart where he feels more at home.

“Ricky has already put a lot of confidence in me, which is great,” he said.

“He is really determined to see me reach my full potential and I think here at the Sharks, I will have the lee-way to do that, where as at the Panthers it was always in the back of my mind that if I made a mistake I’d be hooked.”

“He’s basically backing me and telling me to use all the skills I have to the team’s advantage, so I can’t wait to get back on the field… the knee is still fairly sore but it has definitely improved and is moving a lot better.”

Aiton, who impressed while representing Papua New Guinea in the 2008 World Cup, was unable to represent the Kumuls at the recent Pacific Cup where they defeated the Cook Islands 42-14.

PNG will now take on Australia, New Zealand and England in next year's Four Nations rugby league tournament and Aiton is looking forward to representing his people again.

“It was really disappointing to miss out on playing with the boys,” he said.

“The World Cup was an unbelievable experience and I was really looking forward to playing, but the knee just wasn’t right to go.”

“I unknowingly played without my anterior cruciate ligament and only 50 per cent of my posterior cruciate during the end of last season so I really had to have the reconstruction.”

Although Aiton has been limited to "light training runs", Sharks coach Ricky Stuart is anticipating a big return from the number nine.

“I’ve said before that I really liked what I saw from Paul in the World Cup and I’m looking forward to him starting full training when his knee has recovered,” Stuart said.

“Obviously I haven't seen a whole lot of him at training, but he’s an exciting young player and one that I’m sure the boys will learn a lot from throughout the season.”

Aiton signed a two-year contract with the Sharks and is currently studying website development via correspondence with Courses Direct.