Excitement surrounding Max King

[Saintmike65]

To say excitement around Max King is huge is an understatement.
Here we have a young man, 21 years of age, 204cm and now weighing in at 96 kg.
He can take pack marks, mark it on the lead, very agile (hence the nickname Winx), and great below his knees!
Max is rarely out marked, brings the ball to ground for his elite smalls, with Higgins adding to that mix.
The buzz he will generate will bring more fans through the turnstiles, with countless kids wearing the #12 on their back.
Bring on 2021.

[skeptic]

On a potential basis... pbly our most important player.

10% improvement makes us easily top 4 bound

[Joffa Burns]

Prior to the draft Matthew Lloyd said regardless of how good the others in the draft were that Max & Ben should go 1&2 in the draft.

He said they would get hold of the AFL in 3-4 years time and absolutely tear it apart. The competition has not seen players like this before.

He may just be right.

[st.byron]

204 cm?

Saints website says 202.

Has he grown more?

I’m a numbers pedant.

[CQ SAINT]

204 cm?

Saints website says 202.

Has he grown more?

I’m a numbers pedant.

Its ok if your a numbers pedant. No body cares but you. Lol sorry, I couldn't waste the opportunity to use that gag.

But seriously, there is a big chance he has grown. Standing next to each other it is clear he is now taller than Ben, also listed as 202cm.

[st.byron]

204 cm?

Saints website says 202.

Has he grown more?

I’m a numbers pedant.

Its ok if your a numbers pedant. No body cares but you. Lol sorry, I couldn't waste the opportunity to use that gag.

But seriously, there is a big chance he has grown. Standing next to each other it is clear he is now taller than Ben, also listed as 202cm.

Noice. Pedantry deserves it. . I quite like numbers though. It runs in the family. My uncle could recite the Dandenong line timetable in his pomp. I know - nobody cares but me.
203/204 cm is 6’8”. That’s a big boy.

[saynta]

204 cm?

Saints website says 202.

Has he grown more?

I’m a numbers pedant.

I think Max has said that at 204cm he was a couple of cm taller than his brother.

Whether that is true or not I couldn't say.

[Gershwin]

Let’s just settle down a bit. He certainly didn’t clunk his marks this season and that is make or break for his future. Hope that is just a matter of strength and maturity.

[fugazi]

Smart player, as he gets stronger he will be a MASSIVE asset.

Loves his teammates

[Jacks Back]

Needs to kick straight and true.

[minneapolis]

Let’s just settle down a bit. He certainly didn’t clunk his marks this season and that is make or break for his future. Hope that is just a matter of strength and maturity.

Settle down? Settle down? The man is a monster talent, an outstanding footballer, a terrific guy and he plays for us.

I am completely unsettled and also unapologetic about my settlement.

[Josh Battle]

I'll be excited when the TEAM plays another finals series

I'll be excited for Max if he plays a key role as a key position forward in a Saints Premiership

Can we stop with the hero worship of individuals, and especially a kid who has yet to establish himself

I'll be anticipating that we're not too far from that elusive 2nd flag if EVERYTHING my club does is focused on team success

[Saintmike65]

204 cm?

Saints website says 202.

Has he grown more?

I’m a numbers pedant.

Club website is wrong...that also says Max is 90kg, he's now 96kg.
Ben is 202cm, Max 204cm.

[Saintmike65]

I'll be excited when the TEAM plays another finals series

I'll be excited for Max if he plays a key role as a key position forward in a Saints Premiership

Can we stop with the hero worship of individuals, and especially a kid who has yet to establish himself

I'll be anticipating that we're not too far from that elusive 2nd flag if EVERYTHING my club does is focused on team success

To have team success you need the star element, besides, Max is very much a team orientated player.

[st.byron]

204 cm?

Saints website says 202.

Has he grown more?

I’m a numbers pedant.

Club website is wrong...that also says Max is 90kg, he's now 96kg.
Ben is 202cm, Max 204cm.

Clearly we need them both. 204cm. That’s 80.31 inches. That’s big.

[bakes]

Let’s just settle down a bit. He certainly didn’t clunk his marks this season and that is make or break for his future. Hope that is just a matter of strength and maturity.

I loved everything about King this season and some have mentioned that his kicking is a concern but I think with a bit of confidence and a slight technical modification he'll improve in that department. His kicks had distance, spun the right way, and I didn't notice any left-to-right or right-to-left action.

For me the main worry, as you mentioned was the failure to clunk the marks. On many occasions he did everything right to shrug off his opponent and get in the right position, only to then spill the mark.

I did ask the question to myself many times this season whether it's not a coordination issue, but maybe he just needs to get his eyes double checked. There could be some corrective type stuff that an eye specialist could do or perhaps he needs to wear contact lenses or something similar.

[skeptic]

The marking thing was sooooo strange because as a junior... wasn’t it like the biggest/greatest feature of his game?

I really have to imagine it was/is some combination of nerves and lack of strength

[longtimesaint]

Another pre season and time in the gym is what is needed to have the strength to hold pack marks in the AFL.
It's easy to forget he is only 20 and each year he will get stronger.

[Sombersainter]

At the moment, he is easily shoved away from the ball. I have confidence that will change as he gains weight and strength.

[fugazi]

At the moment, he is easily shoved away from the ball. I have confidence that will change as he gains weight and strength.

He also needs to throw his arms up for the umps to see how he is being monstered off the ball....every other forward does it.

[bakes]

At the moment, he is easily shoved away from the ball. I have confidence that will change as he gains weight and strength.

He also needs to throw his arms up for the umps to see how he is being monstered off the ball....every other forward does it.

You are right, King is one player that doesn't exaggerate contact very much. It's an admiral trait (and one that distinguishes footy from soccer) but if he wants to get free kicks regularly like Tom Hawkins then he'll need to start flapping his arms around and getting into the Umps ear.

[shanegrambeau]

He needs to correct the way he carries himself. Too hunched over and apologetic. Shoulders back, chest out, walk tall like Hawkins. And his kicking style is hampered by crossing his legs or not getting his body into the right position. Sounds like a mechanical thing. I reckon he’d have bulked up a bit and he could be a monster. But too chunky also means injury prone.

[Vazelos]

On a potential basis... pbly our most important player.

10% improvement makes us easily top 4 bound

Spot on Skeptic

[Toy Saint]

On a potential basis... pbly our most important player.

10% improvement makes us easily top 4 bound

If Max improves by 10% he'll be twice as good

[vacuous space]

On the height - they measure the kids at the draft combine and Max was reported at the time as having measured at 203.7 cm. I'm not sure the clubs take particular care to make sure the numbers listed on their sites are current and accurate.

In terms of marking - he finished equal 7th in the league in contested marks, tied with RoMa and Levi Casboult. All the guys ahead of him are at least 25-years old now. Tom Hawkins finished with one more contested mark than Max. I think Max is tracking pretty well in that department. You'd expect he'll get better at it as time goes on as he gets stronger and more experienced.

Having him makes up somewhat for that unintentional tank year under Richo.