Updated ,first published
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon is clear St Kilda coach Max King was fit to play on Sunday despite his first AFL game in 757 days ending early due to hamstring tightness.
King’s latest win in a difficult period for the 26-year-old spoiled the Saints’ 31-point win over fellow wild-card contender North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium, including a four-goal quarter-final that turned a competitive contest into a comfortable victory.
Resident star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was the difference again, kicking three of four goals after going ahead in the third quarter as part of a 46-run display that put the Kangaroos out of the game.
Lyon did not speak to King before his post-game press conference, but said the star would undergo tests on Monday to assess any possible side effects. The coach backed his doctors’ decision to give King the green light after he suffered a concussion in a VFL game in May.
“I don’t even know what the outcome is, so how can it be a mistake before the outcome?” Lyon said.
“But we stand by our decision to play him. We have high-level experts, we have a (training) load, we have conditions. We are very confident.
“In the four-week block (rehabilitation), he had 50 percent more high-speed volume, and 500 percent more high-speed running, which is more than 24 kilometers (hours). His biggest sessions were game sessions and 20 percent more.
“So, in the context of that evidence, our air conditioners thought (he was ready), and the game time was only 12 minutes a quarter – two minutes of six minutes. It was very focused, it was very worked on, and I’m happy to sit with me and our team because we cooperate.”
King had just one shot – a long shot in the second quarter – and one handball in the game’s short half, but he left the court just 13 minutes into the third period. He went to the rooms shortly after and did not reappear before the Saints kicked him out.
King’s hamstring strain in May compounded knee and calf problems that limited his impressive career that stalled at 83 games over two years.
Speaking after the match to SEN, St Kilda veteran Brad Hill was optimistic that King had avoided a long layoff.
“Fingers crossed because if it’s (serious), it’s really sad,” Hill said. “It’s been a rough ride for him the last few years, so I hope nothing bad has happened.”
King started every quarter on the bench and came on after the seven-minute mark each time. North Melbourne defenders Charlie Comben and Aidan Corr played against him in turns, and rarely gave him much space.
His biggest impact was a fierce collision with Cam Zurhaar that cost the big Saint a 50-metre penalty after the Kangaroos fumbled at the interception mark.
King’s horror season began with a season-ending ligament tear in his left knee in a two-point loss against Port Adelaide at Marvel Stadium on June 30, 2024.
He signed a six-year contract extension in October of that year to tie him to the Saints until 2032, but has endured repeated injury problems since, including three surgeries on his right knee last year after a preseason setback.
King’s problems continued with a foot injury in February before a strain in his second VFL game of the season in May delayed his return further.
He spent part of his latest rehabilitation block on the Gold Coast, allowing him to spend time with his twin brother Ben, and St Kilda opted to bring him straight into the senior side.
“It’s not better, right? But it’s about courage and coming back,” Lyon said.
“I think eventually, you say, ‘Geez, I’ve run down the AFL race, I feel good, I’ve started, I’ve got a feel for how hard it is, and (I’m going to fix) the soft tissue that might happen’. Who knows what it is? I don’t know.
The Saints also lost Cooper Sharman (manager) and Rowan Marshall (back concussion) as late withdrawals, the latter after completing preparations.
Dashers Hill (34 disposals) and Darcy Wilson (28) were other standout players for St Kilda, while ruckman Tom De Koning (19, seven disposals) shone in his return from broken ribs and a punctured lung.
They led by 16 points at quarter-time – benefiting from a series of bad shots by North Melbourne – but the Roos hit the lead early in the second half through Jack Darling’s second of three goals.
But thanks to their 41-23 margin of victory, the 10th-ranked Saints stormed back to lead by 13 points at the final break before going on the road with a crucial victory.
Kangaroos defender Charlie Comben went to hospital after coughing up blood following a late-match collision, but coach Alastair Clarkson said club doctors were hopeful he had avoided a serious issue.
