2018 AFL draft: Twins Ben and Max King looking forward to the ‘next chapter’

Identical twins Ben and Max King have always played football together. But that could be about to change.

Identical twins Max (left) and Ben King are both seen as top-10 AFL draft picks. Picture: Michael Klein

Identical twins Ben and Max King have always played football together.

Right from the start — in East Sandringham’s Under-9s, coached by former St Kilda champion Stewart Loewe — they’ve been on the same side.

“I started down forward and Ben started down back. That was the start of it,” Max said of that first season with the junior Zebras in Duncan St.

Fast forward a decade and the Kings are set to become AFL players.

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The mere mention of the national draft on November 22 stirs a range of emotions in the boys from Hampton.

There’s excitement, of course, but also a hint of sadness because, in all likelihood, Ben and Max King will be heading to different clubs.

Ben King kicks a goal for the Sandringham Dragons against Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup preliminary final in September. Picture: Michael Dodge

For the first time in their lives, the King twins will be split up — footy rivals, if you like.

“It’s sad that it looks like our football career (of playing together) looks like coming to an end but we’re just both keen to start playing AFL football and if that means we are split up that’s how it is,” Ben said.

Max says he’s thought about it a lot — even from the moment he suffered a season-ending ACL knee injury in a school football game with Haileybury College in April.

Max King playing for the Sandringham Dragons in round 12 of the TAC Cup in 2017. Picture: Daniel Pockett

“We’re not going to be at the same club, we’ve sort of come to terms with that,’’ Max said.

“It would be good to play with him again one day but it’s not in our control at the moment so we just have to accept it and move on to that next chapter.

“I’ve sort of had a while to come to terms with it after the injury because I knew that that would be one of the last games I play with him.

“I think we’ll be fine playing in different teams.”

And imagine if they were to line-up on each other in an AFL game.

“That would be a very good challenge,” Max said.

“We’ve had a lot of battles over the years in the backyard just messing around. We’d definitely be excited to do that.”

Ben added: “That would be pretty crazy. We’ve always done jack in the pack and that sort of stuff but never competitively in a game.”