LESS than a month after his season looked over, Max King could return for St Kilda's big clash against in-form Carlton.
As the Saints' key forward stocks suddenly look healthy, King is pressing to prove his fitness for Sunday's match at Marvel Stadium.
King needed a reconstruction on his right shoulder in the pre-season and returned in round 10, playing seven games.
He dislocated the same shoulder early last month in the loss to Melbourne, with the Saints initially fearing the injury spelled the end of his season.
But King underwent an arthroscope on the shoulder and is now on the verge of returning.
"That's a really good question ... he'll train and have more contact," coach Ross Lyon said before Wednesday training when asked about a timeline for the player's comeback.
"This morning he gave me a pat on the shoulder – I don't know how to interpret that, whether he feels sorry for me or, 'It will all be OK coach'."
Along with King's looming return, fellow key forward Tim Membrey is back from a knee injury and the Saints on Tuesday night successfully challenged Anthony Caminiti's one-game striking ban at the Tribunal.
It is a pleasant change in fortune for St Kilda, which has had bad luck with injuries this season, particularly glaring among its key forwards.
"Our kids have been incredible. It's been a bit of a saga ... maybe things are coming together at the right time of the year," Lyon said.
While Lyon was rapt to have Caminiti available and thanked their Tribunal advocate, former AFL operations boss Adrian Anderson, he was unimpressed that his player put himself in the crosshairs of a potential ban by tussling with Hawthorn captain James Sicily.
"I wasn't pleased – I let him know. Put your ego in the pocket and submit to the team's needs," he said.
The Saints will start outsiders against Carlton, which has won six on the bounce and last week upset top side Collingwood.
St Kilda has won its last two and is fifth.
Lyon is bullish about his club's prospects, saying its ball use has improved since the round 18 loss to Gold Coast.
"Sometimes the quicker you go and the straighter you go, the less you score," he said. "So we've added some nuance to our ball movement that has excited us. Our whole body of work stacks up. We have real belief in our system and our effort.
"In saying that, we know it's a big challenge."
Lyon mentioned his friend and Carlton great Stephen Silvagni, now working at the Saints in list management.
"He's been relentless at my office door – he knows them intimately," Lyon said of Silvagni's advice ahead of the Carlton game.
"He's a great Carlton person, he doesn't need to be validated at that club.
"But he's fiercely St Kilda at the moment."
Lyon was asked whether the Saints might try to sign Silvagni's son Jack, who is out through injury and also coming out of contract at the Blues.
"It would be romantic, wouldn't it. But I wouldn't put myself in that wedge," he said.
