‘Knew he’d do something in football’: The junior footy act that defined NSW forward Max King

Max King was somewhat of a surprise selection in the NSW Origin team. But one act a decade ago convinced those who knew him best that he was set for something great.

Max King earned a call-up to the NSW Origin side for game one. Picture: Thomas Lisson

When the NSW State of Origin team for game one was announced on Sunday night, there were more than a few surprised faces to see Max King’s name in the squad.

While the middle forward has enjoyed an outstanding start to the season with the table-topping Bulldogs, few pundits had him in their predicted Blues’ team in the lead-up.

But back in King’s hometown of Maitland, one person who wasn’t surprised to see the 28-year-old reach the pinnacle of rugby league was his former junior coach Rod Leggett, who cast his mind back to something he saw a decade earlier.

“He was obviously a talent, but even at that age he had the motivation to be able to put in that little bit of extra work and those hard yards to get to where he needed to get to,” said Leggett, who coached King at the West Maitland Wallaroos from the under-12s through to the under-16s.

“I remember a time when most young kids before football training would line up and try to be would-be goalkickers, but I’d look across on the other side of the field and there was Max doing extra efforts and fitness things on his own.

King has been outstanding for the Bulldogs this season. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images

“That always stuck with me. That type of edge is what takes people to the top generally.”

And while much has been written about King’s incredible rugby league stock as a fourth-generation first grader whose grandfather Johnny King represented Australia, it was another former NRL player in ex-Newcastle hooker Luke Quigley who helped encourage young Max’s commitment and dedication with pre-training extras.

“Luke was a good friend of mine who would help out with coaching,” said Leggett. “He was a bit of a fitness nut and Max wouldn’t ask – they’d just do it together.

“It always stood out that he was a young fella who was going to do something as a footballer, and that’s not just ability – that comes from the extra hard work.”

Indeed, ‘hard work’ is the phrase that just keeps coming to mind when Leggett thinks back to young Max, who played with the number nine on his back for the Wallaroos in the juniors.

“He was a hardworking hooker, a lot of tackling, a lot of smarts out of dummy-half,” said Leggett.

“He was quite crafty out of dummy-half and he had that ability to engage markers and square defensive lines up before he passed the football.”

A self-described late bloomer, King wasn’t your typical teenage superstar destined to make the big time from day one.

In fact, it has been well documented that he missed out on making junior rep sides and even played second fiddle to some of his teammates in what was a star-studded West Maitland team at club level.

“We had a pretty unique football team at West Maitland when you look back on it,” said Leggett.

“We had Brock Lamb, who played for the Newcastle Knights, he was in the same team. And there was Jayden Butterfield, who was an Australian Schoolboy and is an extremely talented footballer.

Max King (bottom row, far right) during his junior days with the West Maitland Wallaroos. Picture: supplied

“Out of that side, I think I had 19 players, 17 of them played either representative football for Newcastle or the Hunter Valley sides and were in a lot of the Newcastle Knights’ junior sides.

“Max was in amongst it and, as he has said himself, he wasn’t one of those young fellas who always made the teams. For the Harold Matts (then under-16s) the Knights never even gave him a look in.”

It was the North Sydney Bears who first gave King a shot at junior rep footy, with parents Dave and Caroline demonstrating the kind of dedication their son would need to make the big time by driving him down to Sydney two or three times a week for training and games.

Dealing with junior rep rejection was just an early test for King, who has had to show an incredible amount of resilience in a career that has certainly thrown up its fair share of obstacles.

As a teenager he was forced to undergo a series of operations for the heart condition supraventricular tachycardia, while he was staring down the barrel of early medical retirement after a serious Achilles injury prevented him from running and kept him out of the game for 14 months.

King has paid tribute to the impact his Christian faith has had in his life and rugby league career, but it’s also clear that the hard work and steely determination that he honed on the footy fields of McKeachie’s Sportsground have been key to his success.

King made his NRL debut for the Titans in 2017. Picture: AAP Image/Darren England

And while those who rubbed shoulders with the Dogs’ enforcer keep a close eye on his career, it’s clear that he also hasn’t forgotten those who helped him along the way.

“I still keep in contact with his mum and dad, Dave and Caroline, and even Max himself gave me a call at Christmas time to talk about the old times, so I still like to follow him,” said Leggett.

“He’s a genuinely good, humble young man and the Max you see on the TV is the Max I remember as a young fella, so he’s still got the same personality.”

While Maitland is one of the most passionate rugby league heartlands in NSW, when the Blues take to the field on Wednesday night there’ll be plenty of people cheering extra hard for their local lad.

“You feel humbled to have been involved with them on their journey and you’re proud for them and to see them achieve what they’ve done,” said Leggett.

“They’ve done all the hard work, they’ve made all the sacrifices, and when you see some of the injuries and setbacks they’ve had, to see the success makes you feel good,” he added.

“Max deserves all the success and so do Dave and Caroline for all the hard work, good times and bad times they’ve been through over the last 13 or 14 years on the journey.”