Kane Cornes has questioned St Kilda’s long-term contract extension for forward Max King, who just inked a six-year deal.

King is already under contract with the Saints until the end of 2026, and his new agreement will keep him there until the end of 2032, making him one of the longest-contracted players in the AFL.

It comes despite the 24-year-old playing only 23 games over the previous two years, with a career-low 19 goals in 2024 as he fought with a succession of shoulder issues and a damaged posterior cruciate ligament that wiped out the start of his season.

“I love playing for this club – I love the coaches, I love the boys, and I have a lot of faith in the direction we’re going,” stated King in a press release.

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“I genuinely appreciate the club’s trust in me, and I’m aware it’s a long-term commitment; all I want to do is reward that faith with action.

“I feel so linked to the club, and I’m quite enthusiastic about the potential to make history; it’s something that I think about all the time.

“The playing group, especially as some of us have become older, looks around and believes that now is our chance. We don’t want to waste years or a single opportunity to advance our club.”

However, noted long-term deal critic Kane Cornes is unimpressed with the Saints’ decision to lock in King, branding the monstrous extension as ‘one of the most hazardous decisions I’ve seen’ given his injury record.

“He had two years to go – I don’t understand the rush,” Cornes remarked on Nine’s Footy Furnace.

“Let’s see whether Max can get his physique right and become the player they expect him to be. And, conversely, is this the game style under Ross Lyon that Max wants to be a part of, despite his previous failures?

“I don’t understand it…” “It’s one of the riskier moves I’ve seen.”

Cornes then doubled down on AFL Trade Radio.

“They’ve just rushed into it,” he explained.

“There was no need for a six-year contract extension for someone whose body is made of chalk.”

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