Training Saints preseason 2026

[crasha301]

Who is pissing their panties ? I was told the same thing last year when i said he wouldnt play in 25 and he was done

can you show us one report about the games clause ? only place i have seen it reported is in here

Generally, all long term contracts have games played expectations. This is to protect clubs from players doing a JUH.

 

[gringo2011]

Surely it was their main thinking.
King no certainty to return, they needed insurance of another tall up forward to help the likes of Sharman and Owens.

If im being honest I haven't banked on King or Henry being in the 22. Hopefully Max, Liam and the medicos prove me wrong.

He's never been great at camping up forward. I'd say he needs to play as a tall utility who moves around with the play. The Hawks have played with Gunston as their only tallish player of any quality for a couple of seasons without Lewis. He's pretty much Sharman sized if that. We will have Owens, Sharman and can easily stick Keeler or Dodson in as a spiller. A combination from Hall, Henry, Ryan, Butler, Snags, Collard and Phillipou types that can play forward in stints.

At this point King is a write-off that if he comes good it's a bonus. Having a dominant KPF is a luxury but doesn't stop you winning a flag. Geelong played one of their better recent seasons with Shannon Neale as the focal point and Cameron running around with the play and then moving inside 50 when they needed to score.

 

[gringo2011]

Should have pulled the trigger on the Nas / Plugger Whitlock trade

Shanahan will be a star. The Whitlocks look a bit average to me.

 

[gringo2011]

We have been told King signed for big unders because he wanted security.

If this is true, the obvious question is why was he so keen to sign a long term deal?

Why not back yourself to have a good couple of years and get what u deserve?

Nothing about the narrative makes me think we have "clauses" that get out of his contract if he can't get out on the park.

Why would he sign for less money and also give the Saints clauses to cut the deal if he is injured? That makes no sense.

We are going to be stuck paying King big money for another 7 years. Be lucky to get 50 games out of him.

Diabolical list management.

They should be able to come to some kind of settlement. There will be a match payments component to it and hopefully it was really heavily front loaded. if it's dropping to $400k late in the piece then it's skimming $50k off 8 player contracts.

Anyway. I can't imagine that it would be a situation where the club fires him. If he medically can't continue he's retiring so not meeting his contract. The club and player agent would basically come to a settlement arrangement.

Hopefully it's just a blip, he'll have another set back and at some point he'll finally get on the park.

 

[Linton Street Saint]

OK, can we all stop pissing in our panties! For a start, no-one here is a clairvoyant, and secondly there is a games trigger for Ming's contract to go past 4 years, which was widely reported at the time......

Imagine certain campaigners coming back to gloat, it's alright our completely incompetent footy department again bumbled their way through re-signings, draft, free agency yet again and signed an injured player to a long term big dollar contract with no clauses or stipulations, just told him to write a number down on a piece of paper and we'd sign it.

 

[gringo2011]

Would also argue it's not really all just bad luck if we are being honest.

King has never proven he has a body that can cope with the rigours of AFL football.

His contract at the time was incredibly poor risk management, unless we can walk away.

If there are clauses that allow us to walk away I will put my hand up and say I am way off base.

However, I just don't believe it. Don't see why he would sign an 8 year deal on less money than market value and accept get out clauses.

Why would King and his manager accept those terms?

Just two parties hedging their bets. The club thought they'd sign up a premium KPF for $800k PA instead of paying $1.6m if they had to tempt one over. King thought he's getting unders but that gives him security if the knee keeps being a problem.

You take gamble on everything with footy contracts. Every big and long term contract can hamstring your futiure if you get it wrong. Geelong took Jeremy Cameron who was over 30 and starting to look a bit banged up. Thought if they won a flag with him it was worth it. Now he's still going years later. Just bad luck so far.

 

[gringo2011]

Other than Rooey we really have had a shit run drafting key forwards. Kozi was never the same after the Gia bump, McCartin perennially concussed and now Kings knee is never right!

Plugger, Stewie Loewe, Barry Hall. We used to get them right.

 

[dudeintheswamp]

Just wasted half an hour googling max king contract and similar looking for any mention of games played trigger/clause

 

[dudeintheswamp]

Track Watch: Star leaves early, recruit absent as Saints battle blistering conditions with intense match sim

A former Sun also impressed in his new role during the session.

www.zerohanger.com

 

[CaptainRisky]

Plugger, Stewie Loewe, Barry Hall. We used to get them right.

Talk about going back in time ,

 

[CaptainRisky]

OK, can we all stop pissing in our panties! For a start, no-one here is a clairvoyant, and secondly there is a games trigger for Ming's contract to go past 4 years, which was widely reported at the time......

Where was it reported ?

 

[CaptainRisky]

Who is pissing their panties ? I was told the same thing last year when i said he wouldnt play in 25 and he was done

can you show us one report about the games clause ? only place i have seen it reported is in here

I think the clause is a bit like the Tasmanian Tiger

 

[Mowman]

I think the clause is a bit like the Tasmanian Tiger

Apparently he signed for unders and put games clause in

Needs a new manager if he did

 

[Mowman]

By the way SEN played a podcast from last night Ross and Caro

Ross saying Max will be good rnd 1

And they had repaired the cartilage previously but have cut and trimmed it this time

 

[Coconut_twirl]

How do we pay him out when he has 7 years left on his contract?

Games trigger? If what was reported/mentioned true, there will come a time when it will be impossible to reach the games trigger due to not enough possible games left.

This is a setback for King and unfortunately, it’s a chronic knee issue that has an uncertain timeline to playing football.

 

[Sully111]

Just wasted half an hour googling max king contract and similar looking for any mention of games played trigger/clause

View attachment 2498022

Yeah I’d like to see some evidence

I’m not saying it doesn’t exist, but would be nice to see something a little more substantial on it

 

[Coconut_twirl]

Should have pulled the trigger on the Nas / Plugger Whitlock trade

Or actually took Whitlock with the Barrat pick.

 

[gringo2011]

No matter how optimistic you are, it's not looking good for King

I'm really hoping Keeler can take another big step forward this year. I rate him.

Hopefully an improved midfield can help Coops get to another level too.

Caminiti I'd actually forgotten about. He looked really promising early and would be worth another go.

 

[Broski]

I think the clause is a bit like the Tasmanian Tiger

Nah, there is a clause in the contract. I know because I was the man pushing King's wheelchair and lifting his lifeless arm up to sign on the dotted line.

 

[gringo2011]

Talk about going back in time ,

Glamour KPFs was our bread and butter once. We were shit but you could be guaranteed a show.

 

[gringo2011]

Or actually took Whitlock with the Barrat pick.

Whitlock looks like a Keeler type. Shanahan went a few spots before Barrat unfortunately. I would have loved to trade up to grab him. It might be worth throwing an offer at him. Victorian Saints fan probably still settling in over there. Played the last 9 games of 2025 and kicked 12.9 including two outing of 3.2 against the Crows and Swans. In one of the worst sides of the last 10 years.

 

[seasonedsainter]

 

[Coconut_twirl]

Whitlock looks like a Keeler type. Shanahan went a few spots before Barrat unfortunately. I would have loved to trade up to grab him. It might be worth throwing an offer at him. Victorian Saints fan probably still settling in over there. Played the last 9 games of 2025 and kicked 12.9 including two outing of 3.2 against the Crows and Swans. In one of the worst sides of the last 10 years.

Key forwards need more than one year development. Barrat is in the same boat.

 

[Ads734]

Extending king was reckless even with the triggers. Signing silvagni imo was reckless.

Luckily our solution is staring us in the face but dies Ross have the guts to play Tauru up forward and leave hammer back.

 

[mad-saint-guy]

By the way SEN played a podcast from last night Ross and Caro

Ross saying Max will be good rnd 1

And they had repaired the cartilage previously but have cut and trimmed it this time

Was that podcast from this pre season or last pre season?