Tim Membrey believes St Kilda teammate Max King is ready to tear an AFL final apart and truly stamp himself as one of the game’s next great key forwards.

King stood up in the Saints’ elimination final win over the Western Bulldogs, kicking two goals from big contested marks in his maiden finals appearance.

The 20-year-old now shapes as a crucial element in the Saints’ plans to upset defending premiers Richmond in Friday night’s semi-final at Metricon Stadium.

“He’s more than capable of grabbing a final by the scruff of the neck,” Membrey said.

“He enjoyed getting out there last week, it was a big game for the club, and doing what he does best.

“That’s attacking every contest as hard as he does in the air and some of his follow-up stuff and ground level for such a big fella can go unnoticed at times.

“He’s going to be a star of the competition.”

Drafted with pick No.4 in 2018, King sat out most of last season because of his rehabilitation from a serious knee injury and hamstring issues.

He made his long-awaited debut in round one this year and has had an immediate impact, booting 22 majors from 17 games to sit second behind Dan Butler (28) on the Saints’ goal-kicking list.

King’s performance against the Bulldogs gave fans another glimpse of what is to come.

“He certainly got us going,” Membrey said.

“He also does a lot of things that probably go unnoticed with bringing the small forwards into the game by getting the ball to the front of the contest.

“Guys like Butler, Lonie and Kent are very dangerous at his feet, sniffing around and getting the crumbs.

“To do what he’s done in his first proper season where he’s been injury-free and got a good run at it, he’s done a great job.”

St Kilda have lost star ruckman Paddy Ryder (hamstring) and Jake Carlisle (family reasons) for the clash with Richmond.

But Membrey said they will take confidence from their previous meeting with the Tigers, in round four, when the Saints emerged surprise 26-point winners.