The Hit List Volume Two – The King Brothers

The sky was the limit for the King Brothers.

That’s what we were told when they were drafted to St Kilda and Gold Coast back in 2018. Seems so long ago, now, right?

However, there has seemed to be a glass ceiling for these two players over the last few years. Maybe it’s time it was shattered?

As we creep towards the start of the 2025 AFL season, the focus narrows onto players that need a huge season.

In this series, I will be taking a look at some of the big names in the game that, for one reason or another, need to lift this season.

For some, it is their own form, for others, it is coming back from injury. And for others, still, it is because their club desperately needs them to be at their best when to contend this season.

When the King Brothers hit the league following the 2018 AFL Draft, many expected huge things from them. With Max starting 12 months before Ben due to an ACL injury, and Ben missing a year with the same injury in 2022, they are now on a level playing field.

And both their teams require them to be at, or near, the top of the 2025 goalkicking list.

Were you one of the people who thought that it was inevitable that one of either Max or Ben King would have a Coleman Medal around their neck by this stage of their careers?

Heading into their seventh years on an AFL list (where does the time go?), there has been no medal around their neck, and just as concerning, no All-Australian selections to their name, either.

So, would you call their careers a success to this point?

Financially, yes indeed, they are. But in terms of team success?

Combined, the King Brothers have just one finals win to their name – and three finals in total. They all belong to Max, of course. Ben is riding along with a Gold Coast team that has never bothered September statisticians.

Which of these brothers can propel their teams into contention. Can either?

They’re next up on HB’s Hit List.

 

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