Heralded St Kilda recruit Max King will undergo further testing on Monday after being cleared of serious damage to his reconstructed right knee in a scary incident at VFL level.
King landed awkwardly in a marking contest during the first quarter of Sandringham’s clash with Werribee on Sunday afternoon at Trevor Barker Oval.
He left the field for assessment and was quickly sent for scans which ruled out a fresh anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear.
King, the No.4 pick at last year’s draft, was playing his fifth VFL game back from a knee reconstruction and was widely thought to be nearing an AFL debut.
“Obviously, we were concerned, based on his history, but it looks like it was more a jarred knee with no disruption to the previous graft,” Saints football chief Simon Lethlean told reporters.
“His parents were a bit concerned and emotional, as you would be.
“He’s a talented kid who’s had a strong 14 months of rehabbing to get himself right so, to get a bit of positive for the Saints, is good.
“… (He) will be further assessed (Monday) but, thankfully, scans show the graft on his reconstructed knee remains intact.
“Hopefully, it’s a minor setback which is a positive result for both Max and the club.”
Western Bulldogs star Tom Liberatore has also escaped an ACL tear but will require exploratory surgery to determine the extent of cartilage damage from an incident in Saturday night’s thrilling win over Carlton.
Liberatore limped to the bench in the second quarter of the three-point win at Marvel Stadium after jarring his right knee while chasing Kade Simpson.
He was unable to return, raising fears he might need a third knee reconstruction.
But despite avoiding the worst-case scenario, the 27-year-old is set for a period on the sidelines.
He is expected to go have surgery early in the week, with the procedure to provide greater clarity on how long he will be out.
Liberatore missed the entire 2015 season recovering from a knee reconstruction. He hadn’t featured since round one last season after suffering the same fate.