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Training Saints preseason 2026

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stavro#4 said:
Ran into Liam Ryan and Lance Collard today. Actually it was the second time in a week Iā€™d seen both together.

This time Ryan saw my youngest holding a saints lanyard and struck up a conversation.

In short:

- really excited. Surprised by the quality of the guys on the list and thinks we will win alot of games which he is bloody excited at the thought of after the last few years.

- really close with ā€œLanceyā€. Thinks he is very good and canā€™t wait to help him ā€œbecome a starā€.

- itā€™s been tough training but he is enjoying it and the move over has been a nice change.

- I mentioned of the 4 we brought across he was the guy who I couldnā€™t wait to watch the most and he said he couldnā€™t wait to ā€œentertain usā€.

Overall, good bloke. Very friendly with the kids and easy to chat with. Deceptively taller than I thought he would be.

Lancey has put on some size himself.
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Did you tell him that he caused a divide on Bigfooty?
 
stavro#4 said:
Ran into Liam Ryan and Lance Collard today. Actually it was the second time in a week Iā€™d seen both together.

This time Ryan saw my youngest holding a saints lanyard and struck up a conversation.

In short:

- really excited. Surprised by the quality of the guys on the list and thinks we will win alot of games which he is bloody excited at the thought of after the last few years.

- really close with ā€œLanceyā€. Thinks he is very good and canā€™t wait to help him ā€œbecome a starā€.

- itā€™s been tough training but he is enjoying it and the move over has been a nice change.

- I mentioned of the 4 we brought across he was the guy who I couldnā€™t wait to watch the most and he said he couldnā€™t wait to ā€œentertain usā€.

Overall, good bloke. Very friendly with the kids and easy to chat with. Deceptively taller than I thought he would be.

Lancey has put on some size himself.
Click to expand...

Well done. Great post. I knew Ryan would be an excellent mentor for Lance.
 

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SaintsofSteel said:
He is an 18yo kid why 'pidgeon hole' him so early it's really narrow thinking. Dalrymple said he sees him as a wingman, but that's just a starting point for many. Plenty of players have started as wingman and gone onto become very good players else where.

He might grow another 3-5cms and become a key position player, he might become a great midfielder - he might fail it's up to him.
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I'm not pigeon-holing him

Joffa raised the question about why WCE passed on Banfield. I shared a possible rationale that I believe makes sense. Doesn't mean it's correct, but it's a possibility

Yes he might grow another 3-5cms or hit his absolute ceiling. But there's a reason why he was pick 41

With that being said, Joel Freijah was pick 50 and these two kids are very similar players
 
stavro#4 said:
So because you donā€™t think he is as good as mentioned by others, you think itā€™s fair to attack the guys body/work ethic/contract etc?

Thatā€™s what the point of my post was. Itā€™s an incredibly weird thing be it your donā€™t rate him or as others have said they believed he was the anointed one.

Like we had posts claiming he couldnā€™t even lift a weight and then the club releases a few images of him and he looks like he has arms and legs as thick as tree branches.

If we were during the season and he wasnā€™t performing. Fair game. But thatā€™s not what is occurring.
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I'm not a fan of Max King.
I'll concede that his injuries have potentially held him back, but I don't think his ceiling is that high anyway.
I readily admit that I was never a fan of his current contract.
I simply don't rate him the way others do. I never have.
My criticism of King is for the most part reasonably measured and grounded. It's not coming from a bad place, but rather what I perceive to be the facts.
Obviously, if he reaches the heights people seem to think he'll get to, i'll admit that i'm wrong...as I have done in the past.
I'm just not holding my breath.
 
MrFoster said:
Since kicking nearly 50 goals a few seasons ago, King has spent more time on the sidelines than on the field, when he was playing, he gets very little service. Not saying he is a superstar, but he is at least a very good player when fully fit. Most key forwards capable of kicking 50 goals a season are considered very good if not elite. Give him a chance to get fit and get some continuity. Like i said before, when Richo/Ratts were here, you could be plugger or ablett, good luck being double/triple teamed every week and have the ball long bombed on top of your head 99% of the time.
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Granted his service was poor due to our deplorable skill level during those years, and yes his injuries have been an ongoing issue in regards to continuity. That said, I just find him a lazy footballer.
Josh Bruce kicked 50 goals too, in a side that was arguably just as bad. Tim Membrey also nearly hit that mark as well...both players worked a lot harder than King onfield. I understand that they are all different types of players...but being able to move in footy as a key forward, is non-negotiable (especially for a guy that is reportably meant to be "freakishly" agile and nimble for his size)
I just don't see that gameday work ethic with King...a guy that is considered immeasurably more talented than those two blokes.
I remember training reports at the time saying that some coaches were concerned about King's inability to get out of the goal square and lead.
The year he kicked 50, was also the year we went to him EVERY time. There was countless times other players were in better positions. That was the Ratts mantra though..."Give the ball to Hilly, and kick it any which way to Kingy." My argument to this point is that any other average key forward would've kicked the same amount - if not more - given the same scope to goal.
Anyway, hopefully he can come good, and do something for us. We have other options and avenues to goal now. At the very least he'll take a big defender and free up our better and more accurate goal kickers.
 
SaintsofSteel said:
He is an 18yo kid why 'pidgeon hole' him so early it's really narrow thinking.
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I think you are looking at it the wrong way. The club is building a team.

What the Club is currently doing is building a list with every base covered, and then having depth as well. Though running power is something that as an overall objective the club is focusing on.

You do not want a list with all the just the one type. Equally most players cannot play well in a large number of positions.

You look at who they have picked up the last 4 drafts and we have a raft of players with different criteria.


Though yes sure players can end up playing in other roles or positions than what may have been though of originally.

ie

Wood with us, compared to North.

Sinclair

Nas


Though with Banfield viewed as a potential Wood replacement it is hardly pidgeon holing him as that is both Wing as well as a Forward.

SaintsofSteel said:
Dalrymple said he sees him as a wingman, but that's just a starting point for many. Plenty of players have started as wingman and gone onto become very good players else where.

He might grow another 3-5cms and become a key position player, he might become a great midfielder - he might fail it's up to him.
Click to expand...

Yes he might, but that is not a reason to start out with a plan on where he needs to be developed for in the here and now.
 

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tomjoad said:
Granted his service was poor due to our deplorable skill level during those years, and yes his injuries have been an ongoing issue in regards to continuity. That said, I just find him a lazy footballer.
Josh Bruce kicked 50 goals too, in a side that was arguably just as bad. Tim Membrey also nearly hit that mark as well...both players worked a lot harder than King onfield. I understand that they are all different types of players...but being able to move in footy as a key forward, is non-negotiable (especially for a guy that is reportably meant to be "freakishly" agile and nimble for his size)
I just don't see that gameday work ethic with King...a guy that is considered immeasurably more talented than those two blokes.
I remember training reports at the time saying that some coaches were concerned about King's inability to get out of the goal square and lead.
The year he kicked 50, was also the year we went to him EVERY time. There was countless times other players were in better positions. That was the Ratts mantra though..."Give the ball to Hilly, and kick it any which way to Kingy." My argument to this point is that any other average key forward would've kicked the same amount - if not more - given the same scope to goal.
Anyway, hopefully he can come good, and do something for us. We have other options and avenues to goal now. At the very least he'll take a big defender and free up our better and more accurate goal kickers.
Click to expand...


To me his ceiling isn't an absolute superstar but in a good side he could easily do a Harry McKay and win Coleman. His brother is very similar in his low key personality and he was third in the Coleman. I think Max is probably slightly more involved than Ben even.

Tilthorp made massive leap this season so he might still have that in him but even if not another 60 goals from one of our forwards makes use much more competitive side. Chuck in another 30+ from Ryan and it looks potent.
 
gringo2011 said:
I doubt that. Aussies are dickheads but we usually have a pretty fair minded approach to our abusive behaviour. JSOS didn't do anything wrong.
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I think you are giving moronic AFL fans who have nothing in their life except football way to much credit ,
 
Ads734 said:
I did correct myself in the most recent post. Regardless I think itā€™s far too much for a player of his calibre.
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I am behind and did see you corrected the info before i posted the article.

If he fills that Battle role that we were missing this year and allows some of the young guys develop, then 800k to 850k is fine by me. I would think its the same for Liam Ryan, take a guy like Collard under his wing and pass down his knowledge. This is what they do at Brisbane and they just won two flags.
 
_Maximus_12 said:
If King is healthy his ceiling is as absolutely a top 3 key forward in the game.
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Flying Sci-Fi GIF by Feliks Tomasz Konczakowski
 
Tyrian Lonestar said:
I remember a WA based poster "Defacto" desperate for Saints to pick Ryan in his draft year

Would have been a good call but hey, better to get him late than never!
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I was physically at the AFL draft with my dad in 2017 as it was held at the Sydney Showground. Got autographs from Rayner (after congratulating him for being picked no. 1 immediately after returning to his seat), Coffield (sad face), Hunter Clark (at least he is still on the list) and even Richo (was actually a nice bloke, unfortunately didn't write "G'day" next to his signature...). But I remember speaking to a WA scout sitting behind us and he told us that West Coast was going to take Liam Ryan and that he was going to be a special talent. Unfortunately I couldn't get to Richo in time before our picks went in...

At least we have him now!
 

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SG34 said:
I am sure I am like all of us. We hope that Max doesnā€™t fall apart. The tension is huge. 30 seconds of research tells you the statistical odds.

The tension feels like this to me,
COACHING BOX
1) Do we put him in the team like a soldier in the front line leading the charge? or
2) Do we give him a lesser role, maybe leading up from one of the flanks?
US LOT IN THE OUTER
3) do we talk about a world where Max isnā€™t available,
4) or shut it down and howl down anyone asking about it?
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Just wait and see. I am happy the club is taking their time.

Early days it seemed clubs targeting him physically which he really struggled with. One game that comes to mind is gws where King took a mark. After he came down Buckley was holding his arms in a way of like you can't get out of this. King was trying to break free. He has a skinny frame so it was always going to take years to have the strength conditioning to be the man. All those years of lilting weights have a compounding effect on your strength.

He was thrown to the wolves early on in his career. We didn't have the coaching group or support in the forward line to help to make life easier for him. Then he has been playing through pain most of the time when he has been on the park.

A refreshed, uninjured and stronger King, with the support of Marshall and TDK and having a team with better skills and higher football iq feeding the ball is going to be hard to stop for oppositions.

If it doesn't work out. Just bring in another forward trough trade or free agency.

Ideally Dodson and Keeler would come on. One of them is going to have to replace Marshall next year anyways.
 
_Maximus_12 said:
If King is healthy his ceiling is as absolutely a top 3 key forward in the game.
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This is also my belief.

There are a few "supporters" on here who don't rate Max, but most of us recognise that he is a talented key forward who has been unlucky with injury issues.

Unfortunately the posters on here who don't rate Max King feel the need to tell us again and again and again.

Why? There have been a few posts to try and explain this, with some possible uncomfortable revelations, but frankly I don't care why. I've already heard their opinions several times and I'd rather not hear them all over again. They are entitled to their opinions. They've been heard and we move on.

The club were proactive in signing Max King until 2032. They set about building a team around him. The club seemed to be deciding that "we have the key forward spot sewn up, now we have to fill the rest".

Since then the players who have signed the most extended contracts are:

Callum Wilkie, Jack Higgins, Marcus Windhager and Michito Owens all contracted until 2029
Jack Silvagni contracted until 2030
Sam Flanders contracted until 2031
and Tom DeKoning contracted until 2033 (beyond the King 2032 contract!)

It would seem that we are now building our team around all of these players (er and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, hopefully)
 
Player (age) height

DEFENCE


Key Defenders


Callum Wilke (29) 191

Dougal Howard (29) 199

Zaine Cordy (29) 195 delisted

Jack Silvagni (27) 194 UFA (from Carlton)

Anthony Caminiti (21) 196 (also forward)

Alixzander Tauru (19) 194 (also forward)

James Barrat (18) 193


Medium Defenders


Jimmy Webster (31) 188 Retired

Hunter Clark (26) 186

Liam Stocker (25) 184

Liam O'Connell (22) 189

Jack Carroll (22) 187

Angus McLennan (22) 188 Delisted

Arie Schoenmaker (20) 194 Delisted


Offensive Defenders / Outside Mids


Jack Sinclair (30) 181

Angus Hastie (20) 190

Tobie Travaglia (19) 187


MIDFIELD


Inside Mids


Jack Macrae (31) 192

Zak Jones (30) 182 Delisted

Jack Steele (29) 187 Traded out to Melbourne

Paddy Dow (26) 184

Sam Flanders (24) 183 Traded in (from Gold Coast)

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (22) 187

Marcus Windhager (22) 185

Mattaes Phillipou (21) 190

Hugo Garcia (20) 185

Hugh Boxshall (19) 188


Outside Mids/Forwards


Mason Wood (31) 192

Brad Hill (31) 182

Liam Henry (24) 180

Ryan Byrnes (23) 181 Delisted and Redrafted (#58 AFL draft)

Max Hall (23) 183

Darcy Wilson (20) 185

Patrick Said (19) 180 Delisted - rookie listed

Charlie Banfield (18) 192 (#41 AFL draft)

Kye Fincher (18) 184 (#52 AFL draft)


RUCK


Rowan Marshall (29) 201 (also Key Forward)

Harry Boyd (27) 198 Delisted

Tom DeKoning (26) 201 RFA (from Carlton)

Max Heath (22) 204 Traded out to Melbourne

Alex Dodson (19) 203


FORWARDS


Key Forwards


Rowan Marshall (29) 201 (also ruck)

Max King (25) 202

Anthony Caminiti (21) 196 (also defence)

Isaac Keeler (21) 198

Alixzander Tauru (19) 194 (also defence)


Medium Forwards


Cooper Sharman (25) 193

Mitch Owens (22) 191


Small Forwards


Dan Butler (29) 182

Liam Ryan (29) 181 Traded in (West Coast)

Jack Higgins (26) 178

Lance Collard (20) 185


UNKNOWN


Eamonn Armstong (19) 191 (Cat B) Gaelic Footballer

Kobe McDonald (18) (Cat B) Gaelic Footballer
 
Nick/Jack Riewoldt (insert your forward of choice) > Max King = Ben King

Not sure that's news to anyone but the discussion seems to be lassoed around that construct.

Gosh the off season is torture. Not even 2026 yet šŸ˜¢
 
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