Young Titans forward Max King had heart surgery in the off-season
TITANS young gun Max King underwent heart surgery just days before producing the best performance of his blossoming NRL career.
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TITANS young gun Max King underwent heart surgery just days before producing the best performance of his blossoming NRL career.
King has been the Gold Coast’s super sub in 2018 despite managing a condition which has made him fear he was suffering a heart attack.
The 20-year-old prop has dedicated his life to religion, and believes his faith is guiding him through the rollercoaster ride of the NRL.
King has had multiple procedures in the past two years to address Supraventricular Tachycardia, a condition which causes rapid heartbeats.
King said he feared he was having a heart attack when he first experienced the condition in 2015, but has now been given a clean bill of health after a follow-up procedure last week.
“Instead of my heart beating at 100 beats-per-minute it felt like 250,” he said.
“It left me exhausted and unable to keep up. It was scary. I thought I was having a heart attack.
“I had it operated on (in 2016) and it was successful, but it grew back which can happen with athletes.
“Over the Christmas break I had the procedure done again. The way they explain it is if your heart is an electricity box, there is an extra wire in there which they burn off to stop these episodes.
“I had to miss a game (in round three) with a shoulder injury so they thought it was a good opportunity to go in and have a look. It was good news thankfully.”
King returned to the field just days after his latest procedure, where doctors operate through an artery in the groin, to play a starring role in the Gold Coast’s upset win against Brisbane last Sunday.
He ran for 115m and made 30 tackles in a 40-minute stint off the bench and will make his 21st NRL appearance against Manly in Gladstone tomorrow (SUNDAY).
The Newcastle product made his debut for the Titans last season and has been a success story early in 2018 after overhauling his wacky diet of six ham sandwiches a day.
“I’m off the ham sandwiches,” King said.
“I was having five or six a day. It was ridiculous.
“I’m eating better meals. I’m meal prepping and what not. The ham sandwiches are out the window.”
The incredibly polite and humble King said he was determined to make a mark in the NRL, and religion was guiding his career.
“I found my faith as a teenager,” he said.
“God’s been through my life and my football career ever since I started believing. It’s a huge part of me. It’s the number one focus of my life.
“I’ve got high aspirations in my career to make it. I don’t want to take a backwards step.
“I want to be a starter, but if I’m on the bench I want to be the best impact player in the whole competition.
“I set high expectations on myself. I’m ready to rip in.”
The Titans flew into Gladstone on Friday, with back-rower Will Matthews under an injury cloud due to an infected leg.
Originally published as Young Titans forward Max King had heart surgery in the off-season