Sun King in round 1 mix after shining simulation
Ben King appears primed for an opening AFL round berth after a standout showing in Gold Coast’s intra-club clash at Carrara on Thursday.
The Suns spearhead, who is yet to sign a contract extension beyond the end of this season, has had knee soreness and was considered touch and go for the March 9 opener against Richmond.
But King put those fitness concerns to bed with a blistering early display on Thursday, clunking a handful of strong marks on the lead and even kicking a checkside goal off his laces in traffic.
The 23-year-old played two thirds of the match simulation and looked unencumbered by the knee complaint that held up his start to pre-season.
“Yeah, (I) pulled up well,” King said.
“I felt really good out there and felt I was ready to take that next step into match sim and really enjoyed being out there to be honest.
“Yeah confident (of playing opening round). I felt great today. There’s still practice matches and things to tick off before then but, yeah, I’m pretty confident.
“I wasn’t thinking about it (the knee) at all to be honest, I was just playing footy.”
The 23-year-old would be a major inclusion for the Suns against the Tigers, who will be without their spearhead Tom Lynch for the season opener.
King booted 40 goals last season off the back of an anterior cruciate ligament injury that cruelled his 2022 campaign.
He said the rehab lessons learnt then had put him in good stead for a frustrating but necessary slow start to this pre-season.
“I’ve had a bit of practice in wanting to play and not being able to,” King said. “I was patient for a lot of the preseason. I wanted to be out there from the start but I’m glad I was patient and I think it will hold me in good stead for the year now.”
King’s patience has extended to contract talks. He has had a fresh deal in front of him for months, but the spearhead has not yet signed beyond the end of this season.
“No, I haven’t signed a contract yet,” he said.
“But as I’ve said all along I’m loving it up here and no doubt that part of it will take care of itself in due course.”
After an injury-interrupted 2023 campaign, skipper Touk Miller reminded his team who the midfield top dog was with a dominant display.
Miller booted a match-high two goals and set the standard for tackle pressure and talk through the middle as he eyes a return to the form that had him in Brownlow contention only two years ago.
His partners in crime were equally as impressive on
Thursday with Matt Rowell having showed a glimpse of his new-found attacking intent with a blistering run down the outer wing in the first term.
The 22-year-old’s offseason sprint training looks to have paid off, with Suns staffers declaring they had never seen him hit those speeds previously.
Noah Anderson was typically dominant in the middle and his extraction work top-class. If he can rise another level on his best-andfairest 2023 campaign, the Suns midfield could be among the top engine rooms in the competition this year.