Still no date for Saints star Max King’s AFL return
Shayne Hope |
St Kilda star Max King says he has maintained a positive mental state throughout his latest stint in the club’s rehabilitation group, but is still no closer to setting an AFL return date.
The 22-year-old key forward will miss at least the opening six rounds of the season after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction in December.
King is no stranger to long periods on the sidelines, having ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during his draft year.
His twin brother Ben is on the verge of a comeback with Gold Coast after missing all of last season because of a knee injury.
“You have your ups and downs with rehab, no doubt, but this one hasn’t been too bad,” King told reporters on Wednesday.
“I’ve had really good support from the club and family.
“I’ve been pretty positive the whole time and it’s sort of helped that it’s been a pretty smooth rehab.
“I feel like I’m not going to miss heaps of footy, so there’s still that incentive to work hard and get back quickly, which really helps you to stay positive.”
King, who suffered the shoulder injury during a training accident, said there is still no specific target date for his comeback.
He remains focused on ticking off weekly goals set by the Saints’ fitness staff.
King has played 60 of a possible 63 games over the last three seasons and has no concerns about his ability to handle the rigours of senior football on return.
“I’ve had about three years now of pretty consistent footy and the body’s held up pretty well,” King said.
“This injury was pretty unlucky, a contact sort of injury that can happen to anyone.
“It’s a part of footy and these things happen, but I have full faith in the rehab and full faith in the body.”
The silver lining to King’s shoulder injury has been his ability to spend time in the gym focused on adding power to his lower body.
“You sort of forget what it feels like to be fully healthy, but I feel good out there (and) feel powerful, so we’ll just keep getting better,” he said.
AAP
