Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy has called for St Kilda to try forward Max King as a ruckman in an attempt to speed up their stoppage work.
The Saints were one of the more disappointing teams to play in Round 1, losing to Collingwood at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
King kicked just one goal during the match and Healy said the 21-year-old “super athlete” would add a different dynamic to the Saints side as a ruckman rather than playing purely as a forward.
“Why not put Max King into the ruck and let him become a super athlete through the middle who can still go forward,” he said on Sportsday.
“His athleticism is incredible, if Luke Jackson is one of the most dynamic players in the game then why doesn’t King do some ruck work?
“I’ve spoken to the Saints about this and they’ve pointed out they still have a lot of young players on the list and you have to take (their injury issues) into account.
“It gets me back to Max King, there’s something one-paced about the Saints. I reckon King would be their fastest midfielder if he went in there.”
Brett Ratten’s Saints will take on Fremantle in Perth in Round 2, which looms as an early-season crunch match for the side.