Former Adelaide forward Josh Jenkins regards St Kilda's Max King as the best young forward in the comp.
Speaking on SEN’s Crunch Time Jenkins was glowing about the start to the year the 202 cm gun has had and how he has developed into a formidable presence that opposition should be wary of.
“(St Kilda have) got the in-form forward in the game as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
“He’s kicked three, four, four, four and one (goals per game).
“He’s just generating a lot more opportunities for himself.
“I think he’s starting to understand AFL footy.”
Jenkins specified the main area he believes King excels in when compared to other young talls such as his brother Ben.
“Both brothers are incredible athletes, Ben (King) is more adept on the ground, but Max can go up and get the ball from a height that no one else in the game can really reach,” Jenkins explained.
“When he gets three or four gather steps and launches up at the footy, no one can reach.”
The potency going forward as well as his around-the-ground work creating contests and bringing the ball to ground for the Saints crumbing smalls has impressed Jenkins in the first five games of the year.
“He’s marking the footy really well, he’s kicked 15 goals in his past month and averaging seven marks per game. You see those kinds of marking numbers from defenders and midfielders for the most part,” Jenkins said.
“Max King has really separated himself as a young forward in the game.”
King is currently equal-first in the Coleman medal race with Joe Daniher on 16 goals (averaging 3.2 per game), a testament to the incredible leap he has taken since 2021 when he booted 38 goals (averaging 1.9 goals per game).
King and the Saints will seek to go 5-1 against a languishing GWS outfit in Canberra next Friday.