KING KEEN TO REMAIN WITH SUNS
New contract on horizon
Gold Coast star forward Ben King has given the AFL world the clearest indication yet a new contract isn’t far away.
While he isn’t eligible for free agency this year, King is still seen as one of the most indemand off-contract players in the AFL, considering his immense talent, size and proven goalkicking ability with 129 goals from 73 games.
The speculation, though, has always been that the Sandringham Dragons product would likely rebuff offers from Victorian-based rival clubs – Essendon has been consistently linked to him over the past year, as has St Kilda, where his twin brother Max plays – and re-sign with the Suns, especially after coach Damien Hardwick’s appointment in August last year.
Asked directly on Wednesday night if he was close to resigning with the Suns, King told 3AW’s Wide World of Sports: “Yeah definitely.
“I’ve pretty much maintained what I’ve been saying my whole time up here at the Suns is that I love the footy club, I love the people here and I’m more confident than ever that, in football terms, we’re really heading in the right direction.”
King said enjoyed the “incredible” lifestyle on the Gold Coast, adding he’d developed “close relationships” at the Suns since being drafted with Pick 6 in the 2018 draft.
He said he enjoyed living away from the at-times “brutal” Melbourne footy bubble. “Although football is building up here, it’s completely different to what Melbourne (based) players deal with,” he said.
“To be honest, that side of it doesn’t really appeal to me massively. I don’t play football to be recognised … I play it because I love the game.”
King said he was “not too far off” returning to full training as he continues to work back from a knee complaint, which saw him miss the last few games of the Suns’ 2023 campaign. “It’s been a different sort of pre-season, but I felt like I’ve built into it really nicely. Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, I will transition into just about full training,” he said.
“I guess I’m just striving for consistency (this year). I was really up and down last year in that some games I felt like I was playing really well and then others I wasn’t.
“I’m going to put a lot of work – and have been – into the mental side of the game and hopefully that’ll allow me to play more consistent football and drive us towards finals.”
King said Hardwick and the new coaching panel had brought a “really clearly defined system and goal for the year”.
“I guess he’s just really certain with everything he says,” King said of Hardwick. “He knows what he wants from each position and each role on the field, so he’s been really clear in delivering that, which I think the boys have appreciated. “His game plan is pretty proven and stacks up in the AFL, so that should give us good confidence for sure.
“We’ve been big on speed this pre-season for sure, so I’ve been loving that.”