Max King, a promising young talent for St Kilda, faces another challenging chapter in his career following a recent surgery on his knee. The 24-year-old forward made his international debut in 2020. In the years since, injuries have taken their toll and he was only able to appear in 83 games. On February 7, King picked up an injury in an intra-club scrimmage. Later in the pre-season, doctors performed surgery on his hip to correct the source of his ongoing pain.
King’s recovery is expected to sideline him for a minimum of four weeks. In six weeks time as in right now from today he is due for a second knee arthroscope. This newest blow adds more doubt to his fitness and whether he can live up to being a difference maker for the Giants. King’s injury woes King played just 12 games last season and 11 the season before. This makes his long-term viability as an important cog for St Kilda an open question.
St Kilda selected King with the fourth overall pick in the 2018 AFL Draft. While they extended him through the end of 2032, his recurrent injuries have made that a troubling move. Despite these challenges, King is still one of the league’s most promising key forwards and has shown high-level potential when healthy.
Following Wednesday’s meeting with the surgeon, King’s next step is to concentrate on regaining strength. After undergoing surgery, he’s been building up for his next training block. As Kane Cornes and other commentators would attest, his recent stints have proven troublesome. Some of them call into question King’s five-year contract extension given his injury history.
“I think there’s a lot of unanswered questions, both on Max’s side and on the Saints’ side before you are ready to commit for eight years for a player like this who is already contracted for another two seasons.” – Kane Cornes
