NRL: Max King a new man at Bulldogs

Max King the toiler is gone, replaced by Max King the ball player. And the Bulldogs are reaping the benefits.

Max King has a new lease of life. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images)

Max King remembers a time when all he thought about was not stuffing up, but a new-found confidence has helped the Bulldogs prop go from a toiler in the middle to off-loading royalty.

The 25-year-old has been a revelation in his first season at Belmore, so much so that he’s found his way into the starting side in the front-row and is punching out career-high numbers every week.

This is a very different King to the one we saw at the Titans and Storm whose sole focus was to cart the ball up and make his tackles.

That guy is long gone, replaced by a more confident player who has called on the skills that led the Holden Cup with 57 offloads back in 2016.

That part of his game has been missing since he got promoted to the NRL, but he now sits seventh in that category in 2022 with 24 offloads – more than the rest of his first-grade career combined.

Max King has reinvented himself at the Bulldogs. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

“It’s something I’ve always had. I remember going through 20s and that was a big part of my game, but I think I probably put it to the back part of my game,” King told NCA NewsWire.

“I guess it was a bit of a lack of confidence in myself, particularly in my first few years coming through the grade.

“Sometimes there was a bit of anxiety about not making errors in televised games, especially when I was coming off the bench for a team like the Storm. We were usually winning and I didn’t want to stuff things up when I came on.

“I had a mentality of not wanting to stuff it up and that probably came from fear and a bit of anxiety.

“Coming to the Dogs, I feel like I’m playing with more peace and more joy with myself. I think that’s really helped because I’m going out now and backing myself.

“I feel like as a team we’ve been playing more footy these past couple of weeks. We’re actually passing it now instead of going one out, and we’re playing a more conventional style that the fans enjoy and you can see it on the scoreboard.”

King is one of the NRL’s most prolific off-loaders. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

King can’t wait to lock horns with former teammate Dale Finucane. Picture. Matt King/Getty Images

The Bulldogs are aiming for three-straight wins when they take on the Sharks at CommBank Stadium, and it’ll be a reunion of sorts for King, who will face former Storm teammates Nicho Hynes and Dale Finucane.

Taking on Finucane will be a special moment for King given he looked up to him while they played together in Melbourne.

“Dale was someone who I grew quite fond of,” said King, who recently signed a contract extension with Canterbury.

“He’s a great bloke off the field, but on the field, I took a lot out of his competitiveness. He fights for everything.

“It’s not a case of just natural talent with him. He’s all about hard work and that’s why he’s been able to get to the top level in the game.

“I knew him from afar, but my admiration grew for him when I got to the Storm and saw behind the scenes just how hard he works, so I know it’s going to be a hard one on Saturday.”