St Kilda have been dealt a massive blow with Max King ruled out for the remainder of the season.
King suffered a posterior cruciate ligament tear to his left knee just after half-time on Sunday, but managed to play out the game.
It’s the same knee that saw King miss two matches earlier this season, but the club say the injuries are unrelated.
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The 23-year-old has came under fire for his performances this year that has yielded just 19 goals from 12 games.
“This is a very disappointing outcome for Max,” EGM Football David Misson said.
“It’s a credit to Max’s commitment to his teammates that he played out the game on Sunday, but for his long-term future and health, it’s important we now give his knee some time to rest and recover.
“While this will see Max miss the rest of the season, pleasingly he doesn’t require surgery, and this course of action will place him in the best possible position to attack pre-season.”
Saints coach Ross Lyon defended King on Sunday after he went goalless against Port.
“When we’re not getting a lot of clean ball to him, it can be hard … I really admired his mental (toughness) … he took a step forward,” Lyon said.
King’s injury comes with the Saints languishing in 15th place on the ladder with just five wins for the season.
He has been the subject of trade rumours, but remains contracted until the end of 2026.
Taken with pick No.4 in the 2018 draft, King has played 83 games and kicked 159 goals since his debut in 2020.
But he has been plagued by injuries throughout his career.
He underwent a knee reconstruction in his draft year and suffered a serious ankle injury in the VFL in 2019, which ended his season early.
Last year, he missed the first half of the season after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction and missed a further four games with another shoulder injury during the season.