Vuniyayawa arrives from Newcastle Thunder, where he scored seven tries in 18 appearances to help the club achieve their highest-ever league finish of second.
“It’s a club with a lot of history,” he said.
“I like the environment Alan is trying to cultivate within the team and it is something I wanted to follow.
“I’m going to bring the best I can,” he said. “I love hard work, I run hard, tackle hard and never try to take shortcuts.
“It doesn’t matter where I am on the bench or if I start, I just want to give what is best for the team.
“With the team that Alan and the club has brought together. With experience and young kids, I feel if we can stay connected we can go a long way and I’m hoping for great things.”
The 6ft 2in forward also featured in Super League this year, making eight appearances on loan at York and scoring three tries.
A nine-cap Fiji international, Vuniyayawa made his NRL debut with New Zealand Warriors in 2020 before moving to the UK to join Leeds Rhinos, helping the club reach the Super League semi-finals.
He later joined Salford Red Devils, featuring in their run to the semi-finals in 2022 and the eliminators in 2024.
A spell with Featherstone Rovers followed, where he helped the club reach the 1895 Cup final, before joining Newcastle.
Vuniyayawa arrives at Oldham with 79 Super League appearances, NRL experience and international honours to his name and head coach Alan Kilshaw believes he will add plenty to the Roughyeds' forward pack.
“King is a player with a wealth of experience at the highest level,” he said.
“He is someone who will add real quality, size and physicality to our forward pack.
“Having spoken with him, it was clear that he was excited by the direction the club is heading and what we are looking to achieve.
“He’s hungry to be part of something successful, and that was a big factor for me.
“We’ve been really deliberate with our recruitment, and King is another player who we believe will make a significant contribution both on and off the field.
“He brings leadership and a real presence to our middle unit, and we’re looking forward to getting him into our environment.”
