Saints fans didn’t get to see star recruit Max King in 2019 as he continued his rehabilitation from a torn ACL.
The team has made some key changes inside 50 going into 2020, losing stalwart Josh Bruce to the Western Bulldogs, while bringing in Paddy Ryder from Port Adelaide.
St Kilda coach Brett Ratten is hoping this year is a big one for King, who is building into his pre-season.
“Max is progressing really well. He’s done probably about 75 per cent of the work before Christmas, but now after the break he’s probably up to around 90 or 95 per cent,” Ratten told SEN Breakfast.
“With his knee, things like yesterday on the hard basketball courts we just take him off, we don’t need to do that, but most of things he’s in he’s doing well.
“He’s still a young man and still developing and learning his craft and hasn’t played football for a long time, but has got enormous talent and we’ll try and get as many games into him as we can.”
King was selected with pick four in the 2018 National Draft and was highly touted coming out of the Sandringham Dragons.
He will be incorporated into the Saints’ 22, alongside their many trade period acquisitions, including Brad Hill, Dougal Howard, Zak Jones and Paddy Ryder.
It will be a very different looking St Kilda side in 2020, with Dan Hannebery also only managing five games in his first year with the club, and Ratten said they have gone out of their way to try and get everyone on the same page.
“It does take a little bit of time, but I suppose we’ve tried to upscale our game play and our game simulation play a little bit earlier just to see if we can get that cohesiveness through Dougal Howard and Zak Jones all the new players,” he said.
“I think it’ll benefit us to make sure we get to understand each other a bit quicker.
“I couldn’t tell you if it’s going to click Round 1 or a little bit later, but I think these players are experienced and have been in the system for a while and it’s just getting an understanding.”