MAX King has joined St Kilda’s lengthy list of AFL Round 1 absentees after the key forward was concussed by a stray golf ball.
The Saints confirmed King, 20, had been away from the club on Thursday afternoon when he was struck in the head by a golf ball and was later confirmed to have mild concussion symptoms.
In line with the AFL’s latest concussion protocols, King is required to spend a minimum of 12 days on the sidelines, ruling him out of the Saints’ Round 1 clash with GWS.
“It’s obviously a blow to lose Max for Round 1, but player health and wellbeing – particularly when it comes to concussion – is paramount,” chief operating officer Simon Lethlean said.
“We’ll continue to monitor Max over the next week and take every measure necessary to ensure he is on track for round two.”
St Kilda will also be without Brad Crouch (suspension), Dan Hannebery (calf), James Frawley (hamstring), Jarryn Geary (leg), Rowan Marshall (foot), Paddy Ryder (personal leave) and Ben Paton (leg) against the Giants, though Zak Jones is expected to recover from a hamstring injury in time.
A former No.4 draft pick, King booted 22 goals in 18 games in his debut season in 2020.
He missed the 2019 season after suffering an ACL tear in his draft year.
(C) AAP 2021
