St Kilda’s rising star Max King will miss round one after being concussed in a freak golfing accident.

In a statement, the Saints confirmed the young forward was struck in the head by a golf ball on Thursday.

“Max King will miss the opening round of the 2021 season after suffering a concussion away from the club,” the club said.

“Upon consultation with club medical staff, (King) was confirmed to have mild concussion symptoms.

“In line with the AFL’s latest concussion protocols, King will be mandated to spend a minimum of 12 days on the sidelines.”

The injury is a tough blow for the 20-year-old who will now miss the match against GWS on Sunday, March 21.

St Kilda will also be without Brad Crouch (suspension), Dan Hannebery (calf), James Frawley (hamstring), Jarryn Geary (leg), Rowan Marshall (foot), Paddy Ryder (personal leave) and Ben Paton (leg) against the Giants, though Zak Jones is expected to recover from a hamstring injury in time.

“It’s obviously a blow to lose Max for Round 1, but player health and wellbeing – particularly when it comes to concussion – is paramount,” Saints chief operating officer Simon Lethlean said.

“We’ll continue to monitor Max over the next week and take every measure necessary to ensure he is on track for Round 2.”

King has played just 18 games for the Saints since being taken as pick four in the 2018 AFL Draft.

He didn’t debut until the start of 2020 after undergoing a knee reconstruction in 2019, but finished his debut year as the Saints second-highest goal scorer.

King’s injury is not the first time an AFL player has been injured while out playing golf.

Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson revealed he was hit by a drinks cart while golfing, injuring his Achilles and missing a month of footy.

Johnson retired later that year.