Max King will be racing against a five-day break to put his hand up to face the Bulldogs on Thursday night.

The 23-year-old left the ground in Canberra citing a knee complaint, however scans later cleared him of any structural damage.

“Short turnarounds are hard no matter the injury and this is definitely the case with Max this week,” EGM Football David Misson said.

Similarly, draftee Lance Collard will be required to pass a fitness test at training after missing the second half of Sandringham’s loss to GWS with hamstring awareness.

Max Heath (concussion) was the only other Saints’ injury to come from the trip to the nation’s capital.

In positive news, both Paddy Dow and James Van Es will seek to depart the rehab group this week after lengthy stints on the sidelines.

“It’s great reward for effort to see a number of our players closing in on a return to play,” Misson said.

“Having a healthy list allows for greater flexibility and selection options, and we hope to see our injury list continue to trend down in the weeks to come.”

Injury list

PLAYER INJURY ESTIMATED RETURN
Max King Knee Test
Lance Collard Hamstring Test
Paddy Dow Knee Test
James Van Es Ankle Test
Max Heath Concussion TBC
Hunter Clark Calf 1-2 weeks
Ben Paton Pectoral 1-2 weeks
Matty Allison Knee 2 weeks
Mason Wood Collarbone 2 weeks
Brad Crouch Knee 3-4 weeks
Liam Henry Hamstring 3-4 weeks
Updated: Tuesday 16 April