King set for date with GIANTS
By James Matthey
The GWS GIANTS’s list-building concessions may allow them to add talented youngster Max King to their stocks for next year.
The 200cm, 89kg ruckman from Wagga Wagga could be recruited by the AFL’s newest club before the National Draft in October this year, under rules that give GWS priority access to players within their zone from Southern NSW.
King has already spent time with GWS as part of their academy program, and played for the Murray Bushrangers in this year’s TAC Cup, impressing enough to be selected for this year’s National Draft.
The young gun kicked 15 goals in 11 games for the Bushrangers this year, and also performed strongly for the NSW/ACT Rams in July’s NAB Under-18 National Championships, kicking 11 goals in the tournament, including a four-goal haul against Queensland in Round 4.
Murray Bushrangers regional manager, Andrew Carson, said King would be a valuable addition to any club after improving dramatically throughout the course of the year.
“Where we see him now at the end of the season to where he was at the start, he’s certainly a vastly improved player,” Carson said.
“He applies himself at training, he had a real impact for us in the ruck and as a key forward. Going forward his improvement will be fairly rapid over the next two years in a full-time system should he get that opportunity.
“He runs well and is athletic … there’s a lot to like about him.”
