Former St George Illawarra Dragons star Jamie Soward talks about his impending move to London Broncos St George Illawarra dump Jamie Soward for this weekend's match against Newcastle Knights. Jamie Soward in his last game for the Dragons, the round 12 clash with the Bulldogs. ENGLAND-bound Jamie Soward has welcomed the opportunity to escape the NRL spotlight that's traced his entire career. Breaking his silence after gaining an immediate release from St George Illawarra to join the London Broncos for the rest of the season, a disappointed Soward yesterday put his sudden departure down to "business." "It's happened and it's played-out in the media," he said. It's not the way I wanted to end my career at the Dragons, but that's business. I think both parties, the club and player, understand now more than ever that footy is a business. The club has to look after itself and people's jobs are on the line depending on how the team performs. The player has to perform to justify his position. It's always tough at the Dragons because there's so much expectation for high performance from the fans and media. I'm not just blaming our losses for everything. I wasn't in great form and since that night against the Bulldogs it all started. Soward was referring to St George Illawarra's narrow Round 12 loss to Canterbury, which would prove his farewell appearance in the Big Red V. A meeting with Dragons coach Steve Price the following Monday saw the former Blues pivot dropped to NSW Cup, and Soward last night admitted he'd found the demotion both draining and enlightening. "The experience put things into perspective, playing alongside blokes who have to work regular jobs for a living," Soward said. The challenge for me was to not let them down. I wanted to put in my best performances and play with the right attitude. We won one and lost one. Obviously it hasn't ended on a great note. Our sport is so performance based, that so much of your mindset depends on how you and the team played the previous weekend. The last couple of weeks has been mentally draining, and I really tried ny best to put in a performance that was respectful to those guys in NSW Cup. That was draining. But I'm looking forward to getting a visa, and getting out of the spotlight, even though there are bigger stories going down right now. The 28-year-old declined to comment on his relationship with Price, which is believed to have soured over the past month. However, the Illawarra-aligned section of the joint venture's board initially pushed to deny Soward a release because they felt he'd be better off being paid to play reserve grade than head overseas. Soward has already spoken to London Broncos coach Tony Rea and was yesterday packing-up his home in anticipation of a move as soon as this weekend. He also sought the blessing of Panthers boss Phil Gould, who signed the playmaker on a four-year deal in April. "Looking ahead, the best thing for me to do is go to England now," Soward said. I'm sure everyone will look at where the London Broncos are running and laugh. But they are involved in a Challenge Cup quarter final against Sheffield Eagles in a few weeks, so there's an opportunity to perhaps play in the final, which would be an amazing experience. I've spoken to Gus about playing in England and he understands my reasons. He's happy for me.