Saints forward Max King ruled out for season after suffering hamstring strain

Updated July 27, 2026 — 4:49pm,first published 3:57pm

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In today’s AFL Briefing, your wrap of footy news:

Max King suffered a season-ending hamstring strain on Sunday.

Brisbane’s Ty Gallop will face a serious misconduct charge.

Max King will not play again until at least next year after St Kilda confirmed the injury-prone spearhead suffered a season-ending left hamstring strain in his return game on Sunday.

It is a devastating blow for the Saints and King, who had not played at AFL level for 757 days before this latest setback, and has now suffered hamstring injuries twice this year, including in a VFL game in May.

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon defended the club’s decision to play King in the senior side and bypass the VFL this time, but the star forward will now have played just once in three seasons after a torturous run that includes injuries to both knees and calf issues.

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King left Sunday’s 31-point win over North Melbourne midway through the third quarter and did not return.

He started each term on the bench and played in six-minute stints, but managed just one kick and one handball while playing at different times on Charlie Comben and Aidan Corr.

“It’s an incredibly disappointing outcome for Max, who has done everything possible throughout his rehabilitation to put himself in the best position to return,” St Kilda football boss Lenny Hayes said.

“He’s an incredibly important part of our football club. We’ll continue to wrap our arms around him and provide all the support he needs as he works through this latest setback.

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“Our focus now turns to ensuring Max undertakes a full pre-season to allow him to get back and play consistent senior football in 2027.”

King signed a six-year contract extension in October 2024 that ties him to the Saints until the end of the 2032 season.

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Lion straight to tribunal on misconduct charge

Scott Spits

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Brisbane youngster Ty Gallop has been sent straight to the AFL tribunal for shoving Port Adelaide’s Mitch Georgiades’ head into the turf.

Gallop has been charged with serious misconduct for the incident in the second quarter of Brisbane’s win over Port at the Gabba on Sunday.

The 20-year-old rolled Georgiades in a heavy tackle but has come under scrutiny for his actions off the ball immediately after.

As the Lions swept downfield, Gallop lifted Georgiades by the jumper before slamming him back into the turf head first.

Depending on how the tribunal sees the incident, Gallop could face multiple weeks on the sidelines.

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“It wasn’t a great look, but I’m on the other side of it,” Port Adelaide coach Josh Carr said.

“They’re a team that plays tough and pushes the limits. We got the free kick, so we got rewarded. There’s not much more to say.”

Carr said Georgiades was unaffected by the incident after the game.

Gallop’s choice to hit out at Georgiades was described as “a stupid action” by former Brisbane great Alastair Lynch.

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Marc McGowan is a sports reporter for The AgeConnect via X.

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