Ben King has opened up on the massive show of faith that saw him sign a new contract at Gold Coast.
King signed a two-year deal on Thursday, securing his future at the Suns until at least 2024. The 21-year-old was set to be one of the hottest off-contract players at the end of the year, having been linked to numerous Victorian clubs over his short AFL career, including St Kilda, where brother Max plays.
With all the speculation, King revealed on SEN Breakfast that he chose not to be involved in contract discussions, and re-signed on a two-year deal at the instruction of his manager, Robbie D’Orazio.
“That’s what he (D’Orazio) suggested, and that’s what I went with,” King said.
“A year out from the end of your contract there’s going to be whispers, but Robbie was pretty good like that, he knows I didn’t want to hear too much of it, I didn’t want to be distracted by any of it coming into the season, so he kept that to a minimum, which was good.
“It’s just the way it happened, to be honest, I trust Robbie to look after me well with that sort of thing and I don’t get too stuck into the negotiations of it all.”
King also said there was no pressure from his Melbourne-based family to return home, adding: “My family and friends have been really supportive of me living up there and playing for the Gold Coast, and my brother as well, he knows I love my football up there, he knows I love living up there, so they would never put any pressure on me to come back.”
The news of the contract extension comes as a welcome boost to coach Stuart Dew, who is battling to save his job in the last year of his contract.
Having lost his star forward last month as King went down with a torn ACL, Dew’s optimism may have dropped, but he was no doubt buoyed to know that if he remains in charge, he’ll have his key forward back in 2023.
“Dewy was in Melbourne for a coaches meeting, so he came over to the house and brought me a coffee,” King continued.
“He was stoked that I signed on and I was very happy to be able to recommit to him and show some faith in him and let everyone know I’m committed to the future of the club.”
King’s re-signing could trigger a number of new contract extensions, with South Australian duo Jack Lukosius and Izak Rankine also looking for new deals beyond 2022.
A number of other high draft picks will hold the Suns in good stead and King believes finals – which Dew will likely need to push for to keep his job – are well and truly on the table.
“It’s a great bunch of guys up there, really enjoyable environment to be around at the club,” King added.
“But it also has really high standards, and (with) the culture of high standards, you probably wouldn’t see from down here in Melbourne, because until it translates to on-field performance no one’s really going to acknowledge it.
“But I think the foundations for a successful team have been set really well by the staff and by the leaders and older boys, so (I’m) very grateful.
“Yeah definitely (we are a finals contender).
“Without a doubt, I think the foundations have been set really well the last few years. The boys are growing up and playing more football together and maturing well, so I think it’s only a matter of time.”
The Suns play an injury-ravaged West Coast in Round 1, but Dew may now have to factor Jack Darling into his plans after it was revealed the star Eagle got vaccinated and could play Round 1.
Lukosius was swung forward over the pre-season and impressed against Geelong with three goals, the former defender seemingly filling the void left by King.