MAX KING is touch and go to return this weekend from a long-term shoulder injury, with the St Kilda forward still battling a few small niggles.

Saints coach Ross Lyon said the 22-year-old – who booted 52 goals last year – will need to get through training on Wednesday and Friday before the forward will feel comfortable in himself to put his hand up for selection against Adelaide.

"I've got no idea (if he'll play), to be truthful. He'll train today and on Friday, then we'll have match committee and we'll make the decision. So yeah, not sure," Lyon said.

"He's been pretty good, he just had a little niggle on the weekend, so he's had a bit of anxiety (about it). 

"It's a big decision, because he hasn't played (at VFL level). But look, he's really tall, so we could do with a bit of height.

"[Anthony] Caminiti becomes available (after suspension), we've got Zaine Cordy as well who'll be freshened up after a bit of a rest. He was really important to us in those first seven weeks.

"[King has] just a niggle. A sore arm, a sore butt, sore groin. They're just niggles. I think someone corked him.

"If there's any doubt on him, if he says, 'I'm not 100 per cent', I don't think we'd consider him. If he declares it, we'll decide [what level] he plays."

After a "disastrous" pre-season on the injury front, the Saints have only used 26 players so far this season, and Lyon said Jade Gresham (knee) and Rowan Marshall (ankle) should be fine after they took a few knocks against North Melbourne last Sunday.

The 30-point win over the Roos wasn't one for the history books, the two sides combining for 12.26 under the roof of Marvel Stadium.

"I spoke to Jack Higgins, and he blamed the yellow balls," Lyon said with a grin.

"Maybe they've got that lacquer or something, but it happened to both teams. Uncharacteristically, missed some incredible shots. It was really frustrating, to be honest. 

"Look, it was cold, it wasn't a very full house, yellow balls. I don't know, we've been pretty good all year at finishing our work. We've been proud of that, so the only way I know is to put the shoulder to the wheel and do some work on the track. But it hasn't been a consistent theme for us.

"You could see how you can do a lot of work – both teams – and it just becomes self-perpetuating. It was embarrassing. Gee, it was a hard watch, wasn't it? We've put it in the bin, and trying to move on. Thanks for bringing it up."

Adelaide has been building nicely this year and pushed Geelong all the way to the final siren at GMHBA Stadium last week.

"They've been incredibly competitive, they're hard, they're tough and they spread. They're fierce, home and away. We can't sneak around that, you can't sneak your way forward in AFL footy, so we're up for the challenge," Lyon said.

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"We accept the challenge, we're going to lean into it. We've been incredibly competitive against everyone we've played, so we expect the same this week. 

"You put pressure on the ball carrier, you try and put dirty entries in, you bring a team defence and you have a consistent application to work really hard. That's what we aim to do."