Overview
- Scans on Monday confirmed a hamstring strain after King’s comeback match and the club has ruled him out for the remainder of the 2026 season.
- King left his first AFL game in 757 days early with hamstring tightness, having logged limited minutes before exiting in the third quarter.
- Coach Ross Lyon defended the decision to select King for senior minutes, saying high-performance staff cleared the comeback and the club stands by the call.
- Media pundits and commentators criticised the move as rushed, arguing King should have had more VFL game time to build match intensity before a senior return.
- King remains contracted to St Kilda through 2032, the club will plan without him for the rest of this year and aims to use a full off-season program to restore his long-term availability.