Max King’s long-awaited AFL comeback is imminent. St Kilda will hold a Friday meeting to set the timeline on the key forward’s first AFL game in more than two years. Coach Ross Lyon was buoyant on Wednesday after the Saints’ Round 17 win over Essendon. King hasn’t played senior football since facing Gold Coast on June 8, 2024.
King isn’t the only Saint whose status is in motion. Ruckman Tom De Koning is back running as he recovers from fractured ribs, per Lyon. Midfielder Darcy Wilson is heading into the run home out of contract, with rival clubs reportedly registering interest. The Saints sit 7-9 and one game out of the top 10. They host Port Adelaide at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
King Nears First AFL Game Since June 2024
King has played only two AFL games since facing Gold Coast on June 8, 2024. The Saints’ key forward has been on the sidelines through a string of setbacks, the latest a hamstring strain picked up in early May during a VFL match. Lyon said King had “made real ground” through the rehab block. The Saints haven’t named a return date while they wait on Friday’s high-performance call.
Earlier in the year, the club said King had entered a conditioning block after his hamstring rehab. By mid-season, assistant coach Robert Harvey told the AFL the return was imminent. Lyon echoed that line on Wednesday while keeping the powder dry on dates.
King’s two-year absence runs longer than any single injury. It has been a slow build through calf, knee and hamstring setbacks, each one resetting the timeline the Saints had pencilled in.
What ‘Imminent’ Means at the Saints
Lyon fronted reporters on Wednesday in a cheeky mood. Asked about King’s timeline, he pushed back on the word “imminent” and used it anyway in the same breath. The contradiction was deliberate, and Lyon knew it.
I wouldn’t use the word ‘imminent’, but someone did, so that sort-of lit it up.
He said the Friday meeting with the high-performance team would give the club an exact feel for the return. King has been training fully, per the club’s earlier updates, and Lyon said King “has made real ground”. Lyon has not named a return date. The Friday meeting was scheduled for late in the week. Lyon’s message to reporters was: wait until Friday.
Three Threads Converge in the Same Week
King is one of three Saints whose situation is in motion this week. Ruckman Tom De Koning is back running as he recovers from fractured ribs. Midfielder Darcy Wilson is playing out the back end of a contract year, with multiple rival clubs reportedly registering interest.
- Max King: Returning from a hamstring strain picked up in a VFL match in early May. A Friday meeting with the high-performance team is set to firm up the return date.
- Tom De Koning: Back running as he recovers from two fractured ribs and a punctured lung, per the Saints’ injury update on De Koning and Sinclair.
- Darcy Wilson: 20-year-old midfielder out of contract at season’s end, in solid form, with multiple rival clubs reportedly interested.
The Saints sit 7-9 on the ladder heading into Round 18. They are 12th and a game out of the top 10, the cut-off for a wildcard berth. De Koning is back running after two fractured ribs and a punctured lung, per the club’s official injury update. King has trained fully through the rehab block, per the club’s earlier updates.
Wilson has been in solid form this season. Reports suggest more than half the competition is tracking his signature, per league reporting. Lyon addressed the contract question in the same Wednesday press conference.
Lyon framed the Wilson situation through the lens of the Saints’ list, which sits at 44 players. Wilson’s deal expires at the end of the season.
St Kilda Sit 7-9, One Game Out of the Wildcard
St Kilda sit 7-9 and 12th on the league’s official ladder, sitting one game out of 10th and a wildcard berth. The Saints carry what the AAP wire described as a healthy percentage. The run home starts Saturday against Port Adelaide.
The Saints’ Round 17 win over Essendon bought them breathing room for a week. They beat the Bombers 17.9 (117) to 7.8 (50) at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, July 5, in front of 34,713, per the Round 17 score at Marvel Stadium. Lyon was clear the Bombers win counted for little against what Port Adelaide bring. Saturday shapes as the Saints’ Round 18 clash against the Power. Lyon said preparation for Port was already underway when he spoke on Wednesday.
Lyon was asked about the percentage game as much as the win column. “The ladder doesn’t lie,” he said. “When you’re under pressure as a coach, boards always goes percentages … but then ultimately it comes to win-loss, doesn’t it?” Lyon said the Saints’ ladder position will be settled by wins, not percentages.
Port Adelaide’s Front-Half Test on Saturday
Port Adelaide visit Marvel Stadium on Saturday for the Saints’ Round 18 clash, per the venue’s official fixture. Lyon described Port as a strong front-half team that controls the ball well. He was clear the Bombers win counted for little against what the Power bring. “They really squeeze the time and space around the ground,” Lyon said. They are, in Lyon’s word, in “pretty good shape”.
Port allow about 74 uncontested marks a game, per Lyon’s read of their form. That forces opponents into contested football. Aliir Aliir is a strong intercept-marking defender, and ruckman Jordan Sweet is in good form.
Stars Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis were flagged by Lyon as “big-ticket items” to consider. Lyon said the match-up brief goes beyond individuals. He pointed to Port’s strengths as a collective across the front half and at stoppage. “There are many big-ticket items to consider when preparing to play the Power,” he said.
Lyon named four Port players as key on Wednesday: Butters, Horne-Francis, Aliir and Sweet. Port head to Marvel Stadium for the Saints’ Round 18 clash. Saturday is the Saints’ next assignment.
Wilson’s Contract Year Hangs Over the List
Wilson has played his way into a contract decision. He is in solid form during a contract year, with rival clubs reportedly registering interest. Fox Sports reported more than half the league has been linked to Wilson. The 20-year-old has impressed through the back half of the season. Lyon was asked about the Wilson situation on Wednesday.
We have 44 (players), we like to look after fairly. I don’t think everyone’s equal, because everyone would get Communism; he’s be getting 150 (thousand).
Lyon put the Saints’ list at 44 players in his Wednesday media appearance. Wilson is out of contract at season’s end. “We’ll work it out and ultimately we have to satisfy him,” Lyon said.
