"I said it to her before I proposed to her: 'You have to be a Panther,'" the club's latest recruit, Trent Merrin, said perhaps half-jokingly about his engagement to surfing star Sally Fitzgibbon.

"She's on board, she was supporting me through the whole process. I did make the big decision in my life to come to Penrith and she gave her full support. She's with me all the way."

It has been a heady time for Merrin. Last week Merrin was on bended knee, capping a romantic getaway in Vanuatu. On Monday he pulled on the Panthers jersey for his first day of training since parting with St George Illawarra, admitting it was a strange feeling when he first stood in front of the mirror in his new clobber.

"I had some butterflies, got a bit nervous," he said. "It was good, it was refreshing to put the new kit on. It's a new chapter, new challenges and hopefully a great future."

A punishing session in the afternoon sun on Tuesday at Pepper Stadium, where the mercury was pushing the mid-30s, would have quickly brought him back to earth. The NSW and Australian forward made the agonising decision to leave his beloved Dragons - and the seaside life he and his fiancee had grown accustomed to - in one of the biggest transfers of the preseason. It was made easier by the support of Fitzgibbons, who had more reason than most to cling to the coastal lifestyle.

"We had some long chats about it and she supported me the whole way, she wanted what was best for me," Merring said.

"She could tell on my face, once I announced it, how relieved I was. She's there through thick and thin now …

"[The proposal] was a bit romantic, I've copped a bit of stick from the boys here. It's deadset the best day of your life. All the nerves are through now and it's back to business."

Given it is only his second day at work - and, like his new teammates, he is getting used to the taking orders from new coach Anthony Griffin - Merrin hasn't been given any specifics about his new role. However, it will likely involve playing longer minutes, particularly given the reduction in interchange from 10 to eight in what is shaping as an imposing pack.

"Bryce Cartwright and Regan Cameron-Gillard, they're definitely future stars," he said.

"It's definitely going to be a great experience playing with them."

Merrin has played all of his 135 NRL games, including a premiership-winning one, at the Dragons. However, the parties were unable to come to terms on an extension that would have kept him a one-club man in what was, at times, a messy and public negotiation. Despite pledging his allegiance to the Panthers earlier in the year, the 26 year old didn't allow the decision to adversely impact his form.

Asked whether he was anxiously awaiting to the draw to learn when he would face the Red V, Merrin replied: "No, I'm not bothered. It's a new chapter now, this is my home and I've got to make the most of it. The boys have accepted me as soon as we got here. We've done some tough sessions and that's what [bonds] us together. It's going to be a tough preseason come Christmas. We've got a long way to go but I'm confident the boys will get the job done."