St Kilda star Max King has been struck down by a severe shoulder damage that may maintain him sidelined till properly into the brand new AFL season.
The 22-year-old key ahead harm his left shoulder in a marking contest at coaching on Monday and was despatched for scans.
He can have surgical procedure to reconstruct the injured shoulder within the coming days.
“Obviously this is an extremely disappointing setback for Max,” Saints soccer boss Geoff Walsh mentioned in a membership assertion.
“He had come back for pre-season in really great condition, which is a credit to his professionalism; a trait we know will stand him in good stead as he works through his rehab over the next few months.
“The restoration and rehabilitation interval for this damage can be plenty of months, which we are going to present updates on as he progresses by way of his rehab program.
“Suffice to say his return to play will not be until the season is well underway.”
St Kilda open the 2023 season with Ross Lyon again on the helm towards his outdated membership Fremantle on March 19.
King isn’t any stranger to surgical procedure and lengthy stints on the sidelines, having torn an anterior cruciate ligament throughout his draft yr.
It did not deter St Kilda, who chosen the younger star with the No.4 choose in 2018.
King has since gone on to kick 112 objectives in 60 video games for the Saints, together with 52 majors throughout an excellent 2022 marketing campaign.
