St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt has thrown his support behind the club’s rumoured bid of $12 million for Tom De Koning’s services.
De Koning’s contract with the Blues is set to expire at the conclusion of the season, leading to a whirlwind of speculation regarding his future.
This week, reports surfaced indicating that St Kilda is willing to offer De Koning a lucrative long-term contract valued at $1.7 million per season, positioning him as the highest-paid player in the league.
During a segment on Triple M’s Mick in the Morning on Friday, Riewoldt endorsed the potential deal, asserting that long-term contracts “aren’t as daunting as some people might suggest.”
“He’s an exciting young talent. St Kilda possesses a solid ruckman in Rowan Marshall who can also play forward,” Riewoldt explained.
St Kilda is eager to make Tom de Koning the highest-paid player in the competition. Robert Cianflone via Getty Images
“The Grundy-Gawn pairing didn’t turn out as expected…
“However, hefty contracts aren’t as intimidating as we often perceive them to be. There are various strategies to manage them – they can be structured to front-end or back-end payments.
“Ultimately, the aim is to attract quality players to your football club. This young man possesses the potential to be one of them.”
On another note, the Saints are facing a mounting injury crisis, with three additional players sent for scans after a grueling match simulation on Friday.
Star forward Max King sustained a suspected knee injury in the first quarter, while Mason Wood and Jack Sinclair also exited early due to quad and hamstring issues.
The extent of their injuries remains unclear.
“We will provide more details once we receive the results,” St Kilda’s head of football, David Misson, stated.
Max King has been referred for scans following a new knee injury. Getty
“We appreciate the concern regarding Max, Mason, and Jack, but until we obtain the scan results, discussing their situations is speculative and not sensible.”
Injuries have limited King to just 23 appearances across the past two seasons. He missed the last eight games last year after suffering a PCL tear last June.
Misson had previously noted that King’s recovery had been progressing well and expected him to finish a full pre-season.
This latest injury comes just days after it was confirmed that Mattaes Phillipou has sustained a leg fracture, anticipated to sideline him for up to 14 weeks.
He will miss at least the first six weeks of the new season.
Additionally, Dougal Howard (dislocated shoulder) and Paddy Dow (knee) have also faced pre-season injuries, with their status for round one still unconfirmed.
St Kilda’s season opener is scheduled for March 16 against the Crows.
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