St Kilda’s No.4 draft pick Max King shows glimpse of future in VFL debut

Highly-touted St Kilda draftee Max King gave Saints fans a glimpse into his unquestionable talent in his debut for the club on Sunday.

Max King of Sandringham attempts to mark the ball.

Highly-touted St Kilda draftee Max King gave Saints fans a glimpse into his unquestionable talent in his debut for the club on Sunday.

King lined up in the VFL for Sandringham and kicked one goal — a soccer off the deck near the goalsquare — in the one-point win over Collingwood at Victoria Park.

In front of a few dozen diehard St Kilda supporters, he finished with seven touches in the

7.14 (56) to 8.7 (55) result.

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It was King’s first game in 13 months after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in

school football for Haileybury last year.

He had been touted as a potential No.1 pick before his season-ending right knee injury,

with St Kilda swooping with the fourth pick in last year’s draft.

Max King flies for a mark for Sandringham.

Five of his possessions came in the first quarter before he was rested in the final term.

While his influence wasn’t significant, King showed flashes as to why he was such a top-

rated talent in last year’s draft pool.

Wearing the No.12 made famous by Nick Riewoldt, the 18-year-old showed some of the

hallmarks made famous by the St Kilda champion.

He flew for his marks, was often Sandringham’s deepest target in attack and moved freely

up and down the ground.

King said he would continue to increase his game time in the coming weeks as he builds

confidence in his knee.

“I’m not too worried about getting a kick at this stage,” King said.

“It’s a good feeling just to get through the game and I really enjoyed being back out there

with the boys again.

“I’ve done a lot of strength work and rehab so feeling back to normal and it’s good to be

back out there.”

Sandringham players congratulate Max King after his first VFL goal.

King rose above the pack on the centre wing in front of the grandstand but was unable to

complete the mark in the first term, neatly feeding out the handball at ground level.

He pulled in a contested grab deep in the forward line to start the third quarter, only for the

umpire to call play on.

Midfielder Hunter Clark was St Kilda’s leading possession-winner with 28 touches, while

defensive duo Jonathon Marsh (26 and 13 marks) and Brandon White (24 and 11) were also

standouts.

Collingwood pair Daniel Wells (14 possessions) and Travis Varcoe (13 and two goals) both

had moments.

Tyson Goldsack’s first disposal didn’t come until the third term, kicking a goal in his three

touches.

Sandringham-listed Sam Fox kicked a behind with one of the last kicks of the game to give

the Zebras their third win of the year.