‘A pub footballer that’s just battling away’: Max King’s incredible journey from injury heartbreak to a State of Origin debut

Max King sees himself as a “pub footballer” who has battled away for years, but he’s now just a week away from making his Blues debut after overcoming a potentially career-ending foot injury to become one of the most consistent forwards in the NRL. King, 28, will come off the bench for the State of Origin series opener on May 28, with Blues coach Laurie Daley rewarding the Bulldogs prop for his incredible work rate in the middle in a pack that has been questioned for the past few years. He’s not the most physically imposing guy compared with some of the other props in the game, but King has earnt his spot in the NSW side even if he struggles to see it when he compares himself with some of his new teammates. “I do see myself as a pub footballer that’s just battling away and doing his best,” he said. “I always felt like God had a calling for me to play NRL – not because I’m a good footballer but because it was His purpose and His plan for me. “I’ve always dreamt and felt called to this arena (Origin) because I always felt like it was always part of God’s plan for me to be here. I don’t feel any entitlement. I just feel really blessed to be here and I’m taking everything as it comes.” Most players say they don’t read articles or watch the news, but King did and it’s why he didn’t think he’d make the Blues team given no one had predicted him to make the squad. It’s why the phone call from Laurie Daley caught him a little off guard, with King – who was born in Huddersfield – considering making himself eligible for England at the end of the year that would have ruled him out of Origin in the future. “I think the consideration of England was the best-case scenario of it not happening,” he said, revealing pre-season conversations with Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo inspired him to reach new heights. “I’m 28 now and it was always a dream of mine to play Origin, but I’m 28. It’s not super old, but I’ve never been anywhere close in my career. “I did some reflecting in the off-season after a great season with the club, but I just wanted more. “The first day of pre-season, I sat down with Ciraldo and handed him a piece of paper. I said to him that I wanted him to write down what he thinks is a perfect front-rower, and I wanted to evolve (into that). “I think a big part of why I’m here is the team success, but that evolution of these conversations happening behind the scenes with Cameron (helped) because I could focus on being better rather than being happy in life. “Laurie had spoken to Cameron a couple of times to tell him to let me know that I was there or thereabouts a couple of weeks prior. I wasn’t sure. I don’t know what my form was like the past couple of weeks. “You look in the media, and who picks Max King in their team? I don’t think I saw one team with Max King in it.” King’s consistent club form comes after his career was in jeopardy following an achilles injury while at the Storm that left him without a contract and unsure about the future. The injury took much longer to heal than first expected, with King receiving a career lifeline from Phil Gould and the Bulldogs that has led to him playing the best footy of his life. “It’s just something that couldn’t seem to come good. It’s probably about two years out,” he said. “It was a dark time. As I mentioned before, I always consider myself a battler trying to make the best of himself. I felt like God had called me to NRL. “I had to wrestle with (the fact that) I’ve played 50 games of NRL at a mediocre level, 20 minutes off the bench. Now I’ve had a permanent injury that I can’t recover from. “I wrestled with this thought of God. I was struggling to manage that God would do all that but leave me here still. I felt like it was just a big test for my faith as well. “I was out for two years. I was off contract, I had no club, I didn’t know what I was doing. I guess it was Gus (Gould) reaching out and giving me that lifeline. Everything comes off the back of that. “It’s easy to look back and think where you’ve come from. At the time, it was definitely a tough time. I’m just thankful for where I am now.”