INJURED St Kilda draftee Max King met with his childhood hero and Saints champion Nick Riewoldt last week for advice as he continues recovering from a right knee reconstruction.

King, who went at No.4 in last year's NAB AFL Draft, was injured last April, and in a fortnight's time he will be back with the main group but will avoid contact work.

The tall forward has been handed Riewoldt's No.12 jumper.

"I caught up with him last week actually, and had a bit of a chat about footy and stuff outside of footy as well," King said.

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"He's a pretty good role model and I've got a lot to learn off him."

In a remarkably similar story, Riewoldt, the No.1 draftee in 2000, missed much of his debut season with a knee problem.

"He was injured his first year as well and only played about six games, so it's a pretty similar situation. He just said it's a long career and really be patient with it."