Training Saints preseason 2026

[SaintsofSteel]

It took Petracca six seasons to become the player he became. Players need at least fifty games and sometimes more than that.

We are still waiting for Hunter Clark to become the player we thought he might!

At least Trav can run and has some sort of work ethic....

 

[nikkig98]

King's best season was 2022, and he faded hard that year as well. I think 50 goals is super unlikely. He has been figured out a little bit I reckon.

The knock on him predraft was he had a limited tank and he never got on his bike. That remains a huge issue. When u watch him live it is frightening now easily he gets gassed. Throw in the fact he is physically weak, he just doesn't have an AFL ready body.

I am willing to accept he works hard, but perhaps he is just one of these guys that has a poor genetic profile.

Doesn't matter how talented u are, it is not easy to dominate when your opponent is both fitter and stronger every week.

I hope to be wrong, but I see a seriously limited player. He definitely improves us, but I would be shocked if he has a big year next year.

Outside of a 10 week patch in 22 he has had a pretty average career to date.

Lot of platitudes in here mate

I thought the knock on max was his kicking? He kicked 38.30 in 2021, 52.41 in 2022, and 28.12 in 11 games (2.5 goals per game) in 2023. Plenty of set shot scoring opportunities per game and you don't really get those if you're not able to play well against an opponent.


Also this is his disposal map in 2024. Playing injured. Seems to get up the ground enough for me.... Theres plenty of question marks around his fitness and his accuracy but when fit, he's not a pushover

 

[g_TRAIN]

Lot of platitudes in here mate

I thought the knock on max was his kicking? He kicked 38.30 in 2021, 52.41 in 2022, and 28.12 in 11 games (2.5 goals per game) in 2023. Plenty of set shot scoring opportunities per game and you don't really get those if you're not able to play well against an opponent.


Also this is his disposal map in 2024. Playing injured. Seems to get up the ground enough for me.... Theres plenty of question marks around his fitness and his accuracy but when fit, he's not a pushover

View attachment 2466153

Gets a ton more of the ball than his brother, who basically camps himself inside 30m and stays there.

He's not the finished product but Max is a gun if we can get him fit and confident again.

 

[nikkig98]

Gets a ton more of the ball than his brother, who basically camps himself inside 30m and stays there.

He's not the finished product but Max is a gun if we can get him fit and confident again.

Legit, look at Ben King's disposal map in his best season. Im more than happy for Max to do the same and let Mitchito, Rowan, Cooper present as tall optionsup the field. In fact, i imagine thats probably the main reason we've kept Rowan.
I hope Max parks his ass in the 50 and doesnt move aha

 

[SaintOfLondon]

You are telling me nothing new that your standards are exactly where i know them to be.

Please explain to me what actions you think the club should take to meet your 'higher' standards regarding Wilkie?

 

[Mav3rick]

Lot of platitudes in here mate

I thought the knock on max was his kicking? He kicked 38.30 in 2021, 52.41 in 2022, and 28.12 in 11 games (2.5 goals per game) in 2023. Plenty of set shot scoring opportunities per game and you don't really get those if you're not able to play well against an opponent.


Also this is his disposal map in 2024. Playing injured. Seems to get up the ground enough for me.... Theres plenty of question marks around his fitness and his accuracy but when fit, he's not a pushover

View attachment 2466153

I thought he looked brilliant in 2024 before getting injured and his work rate was superb, that was when Henry came in and was firing as well. If those two can come back with the improved versions of Higgins, Owens and Sharman plus Ryan and Hall... don't want to get too excited.

I just hope our supporter base get behind Max rather than making him a whipping boy like we have in the past.

 

[mad-saint-guy]

Turns 26 next July. Not 27.

Yep you're right, my mistake. So he does have a little more time than I thought, but geeze he'd still want to get back on track ASAP.

My concern is that his body has just taken so much damage that he'll end up like late-career Kosi. Only able to trot out for 10-15 games a season and with severely reduced mobility compared to early career form .

 

[Joffaboy]

****ing nightmare to face over the wicket when you're as limited as i was. Angle over the wicket was always garbage to play them on the leg side and very rarely would you get the width to play them on the offside. Not to mention the inswingers

I was a left handed orthodox spinner ( spun away from a right handed batsmen) and every kent complained.
As I batted right handed, I also found cack handers a nightmare to face.

 

[Joffaboy]

Couldn't disagree with this anymore.

Yes we plucked him out of the SANFL and gave him his chance but that was 6 years ago and he has more then repaid the faith we put in him.

He has consistently accepted low $ contracts and was about to be paid less then a fringe player (Aleer).

Doggies came knocking and came hard at him, although he got a rise out of it he still took significant unders to stay at the club. In an era where loyalty is more and more on the out by both players and clubs (as seen with us moving on our captain) I definitely don't think what Wilkie did was un-loyal or undeserving of captaincy.

While I agree with the above, and while he was somewhat loyal in not nominating the Bulldogs, really as Marshall found out a contract with the Saints is a contract if they want to keep you.

Bulldogs would have been a shitter version of Geelong. Wilkie was never going to the Bulldogs

 

[The Punter]

I wish I had that genetic profile...

 

[akaifu]

King's best season was 2022, and he faded hard that year as well. I think 50 goals is super unlikely. He has been figured out a little bit I reckon.

The knock on him predraft was he had a limited tank and he never got on his bike. That remains a huge issue. When u watch him live it is frightening now easily he gets gassed. Throw in the fact he is physically weak, he just doesn't have an AFL ready body.

I am willing to accept he works hard, but perhaps he is just one of these guys that has a poor genetic profile.

Doesn't matter how talented u are, it is not easy to dominate when your opponent is both fitter and stronger every week.

I hope to be wrong, but I see a seriously limited player. He definitely improves us, but I would be shocked if he has a big year next year.

Outside of a 10 week patch in 22 he has had a pretty average career to date.

People are quick to forget the first two games of 2024 where he played as a roaming CHF

31 disposals, 14 inside 50s, and 5.4 across two games against the eventual Premiers and eventual prelim finalists. He glided across the turf for 90%+ TOG in both games

That put the 'lack of tank' allegations to bed for mine - his confidence plays a huge role in how much effort he puts in. I agree to an extent about the 'physically weak' claim too but he had noticeably bulked up at the start of this year. Another pre-season and it could be a net gain of like 8kg+ of pure muscle (uneducated guess) since he last played competitively

Come Opening Round 2026, the midfield will have gone from Marshall + Steele + Crouch + Ross + Jones to TDK + Nas + Flanders + Pou + Hall

There will be every incentive for Max to be putting in repeat efforts to lead at the ball carrier when the ball users are of that quality. It's genuinely crazy how quickly we've transformed the midfield's profile

He'll also have Marshall + Sharman + Owens as support which will open up more space for him as defenders have to be more accountable of those guys compared to Cordy + Caminiti in the past

 

[saintmike65]

People are quick to forget the first two games of 2024 where he played as a roaming CHF

31 disposals, 14 inside 50s, and 5.4 across two games against the eventual Premiers and eventual prelim finalists. He glided across the turf for 90%+ TOG in both games

That put the 'lack of tank' allegations to bed for mine - his confidence plays a huge role in how much effort he puts in. I agree to an extent about the 'physically weak' claim too but he had noticeably bulked up at the start of this year. Another pre-season and it could be a net gain of like 8kg+ of pure muscle (uneducated guess) since he last played competitively

Come Opening Round 2026, the midfield will have gone from Marshall + Steele + Crouch + Ross + Jones to TDK + Nas + Flanders + Pou + Hall

There will be every incentive for Max to be putting in repeat efforts to lead at the ball carrier when the ball users are of that quality. It's genuinely crazy how quickly we've transformed the midfield's profile

He'll also have Marshall + Sharman + Owens as support which will open up more space for him as defenders have to be more accountable of those guys compared to Cordy + Caminiti in the past

Max put on ikgs last preseason & was looking great...fingers crossed his knee issues are behind him

 

[austinnn]

My boy's a lefty, it's a guaranteed 4 points in basketball the first 2 trips down the court.

More interesting in football are the left handers / right footers. Voss, Ricciuto and Harvey, Riewoldt too (probably why his ball drop was a bit shyte ) Hodge and Franklin were the opposite.

Our Robert Harvey made a career of going left to handball and bounce, & going right to kick, I still don't think the AFL world have worked it out.

I'm right handed and left footed which helped me out with playing football ️ but couldn't compensate for my lack of skill or strength. Did help with my tackling though!

 

[luca77]

I'm right handed and left foited which helped me out with playing football ️ but couldn't compensate for my lack of skill or strength. Did help with my tackling though!

I'm all over the shop. Left sided all things footy, right sided cricket/tennis.

You know what's surprisingly tricky? It's when you injure your toilet paper hand. That was harder than having to write with my right hand.

 

[Sir Owens]

That was superb. Jackson Warne is an absolute gem of a bloke and Max revealed depth and strength of character that was previously not obvious to me. I predict a big future for both of them!!

Interesting that he said they performed the wrong surgery, and it wasn't another injury. He must have been so mad and frustrated.

 

[Saints4ever]

Kick with my right
Bowl with my right
Bat left handed.
Cricket, tennis, baseball anything hitting I’m left handed everything else right handed.
Makes me very top handed when hitting

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

It’s amusing when right handed people suddenly discover left handed people exist.

Wait til they find out about right handed people whose preferred foot is the left

 

[MOLTEN GANGLANDS]

It’s amusing when right handed people suddenly discover left handed people exist.

it's a myth, we killed them off in the middle ages (rightly so)

 

[True Believer]

it's a myth, we killed them off in the middle ages (rightly so)

Correct, they were witches and demons and such like......

 

[Tommy Wigs]

Yep he's closer to turning 24.

(Last July)

(The most recent one)

Thank god! 27! May as well trade him. Alas, he’s 25

 

[Tommy Wigs]

Being the old bastard I am, was watching the Jeff White analysis in the mid afternoon a few days back and had a nanna nap just as he started talking about TDK.
Went back and had a look yesterday and he mentioned the dynamic between Marshall and TDK and how we now had a left and right sided ruckman. Found this very interesting as I had never really thought about how being left sided for example could change rucking technique, the hand they tap with and positioning of themselves to clear the ruck by hand or foot.
Got me thinking of the possibilities can exploit with this ruck combo and possibly also why Marshall worked so well with Paddy Ryder, dont know, just spitballing. Certainly can be difficult for an opposing ruck and may be an unthought of advantage using the TDK/Marshall combination.
Also this is a great example of a high quality ruckman at AFL level looking into detail and instantly recognising the potential and a little known fact that nobody else has recognised.

Will be interesting to watch later in the preseason when they are play simulating.

I love that someone out there is having a crack at analysis and like what the big fella does. But it’s not a ball by ball swap of a bowler trying to bowl at a left and then a right hand hander ball by ball. Much less frequent and, unless the oppo are morons, they can review footage and rehearse. If the ruckman was ambidextrous then sure. I’m just not sure players are so unprepared (or dense)

 

[Significant]

Kick with my right
Bowl with my right
Bat left handed.
Cricket, tennis, baseball anything hitting I’m left handed everything else right handed.
Makes me very top handed when hitting

Same, well close, it's utterly bizarre! Tennis / badminton I'm right handed, but anything where I'm squaring off (cricket, baseball, softball, golf) is when I'm left.

 

[CursingFijian]

I knew a lefty who could only play right handed guitars!

 

[Mat Mann]

Kick with my right
Bowl with my right
Bat left handed.
Cricket, tennis, baseball anything hitting I’m left handed everything else right handed.
Makes me very top handed when hitting

bowl right-handed bat left-handed, except baseball, can bat either hand just as well, tennis ect.. all right-handed
snowboard, waterski, wakeboard right foot fwd (which is a leftie thing)

 

[Remboy]

I'm all over the shop. Left sided all things footy, right sided cricket/tennis.

You know what's surprisingly tricky? It's when you injure your toilet paper hand. That was harder than having to write with my right hand.

My father wrote with his left hand, played tennis left handed but batted and bowled right handed.
I'm right handed at everything. Had an operation just below my right wrist last year. Trying to clean my teeth was a nightmare.