Gold Coast Suns key forward Ben King is taking his time over his next contract, with his manager describing him as a "deep thinker" who will not be rushed into a decision.
Manager Confirms King's Focus on Football
King's manager Robbie D'Orazio told 7NEWS on Wednesday that he is on the Gold Coast meeting with a couple of his players to "work through some things." King, a restricted free agent, has been the subject of intense speculation, but D'Orazio emphasized that the 24-year-old is prioritizing his on-field performance.
"At the moment Ben just wants to play good footy," D'Orazio said. "He's obviously leading the Coleman at the moment on 42 goals, so he'll continue to do that ... (But) getting the team into the finals is his main thing at the moment and I think he's doing a pretty good job."
No Rush on Decision
Pressed on whether King would stay with the Suns, D'Orazio said the forward is happy to take his time. "Ben's a deep thinker and doesn't rush these decisions. He's going through the process but as I said at the moment he just wants to make finals," he said. "Obviously the Suns are in a little bit of a trough at the moment and he's working closely with Dimma ... and I talk to (football manager) Craig Cameron regularly, and they're very comfortable with where things sit."
D'Orazio also confirmed he has not spoken to other clubs about King. "As I said before, Ben's a grown man now and he'll tell me when he's ready to make a decision. But at the moment he just wants to make finals and kick goals for the Suns."
Hawthorn Emerges as Frontrunner
On Tuesday, 7SPORT expert Tom Morris reported that Hawthorn had emerged as the frontrunner to secure King's signature. Morris said King had not told the Suns he was staying, leaving the club "nervous" about his potential departure. However, the Suns are prepared to match any offer. "What you can lock in if he does want to go to the Hawks is that the Gold Coast Suns will match the bid and they'll want three first-rounders and Hawthorn will have to pay up," Morris said on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters. "If they don't, it'll be a dogfight. Ben King's a restricted free agent, which means they can match the deal. That's where it sits at the moment."
Questions Over King's Value
Despite leading the Coleman Medal race with 42 goals, King's value has been questioned. Kane Cornes pointed to King's performances in the club's best-and-fairest awards, where he has only appeared in the top 10 once. "So run, run, run, Hawks, run away and don't pay this guy $1.25 million," Cornes said. "Yes, he kicks goals, there's no doubt about that, but he's not rated by his own club and the history of the best and fairest is the best judge of that. These are the coaches that have voted on this guy and the best and fairest for a long period of time now, even the amount of goals that he kicked last year, 10th in the best and fairest (in 2025). So they rate all sorts of things. This is different coaches and all sorts of things. He's got one top-10 finish and it was 10th in the best and fairest for Ben King."
Dale Thomas added that match-day statistics paint a concerning picture. While King leads the Coleman, he ranks 56th for marks inside forward 50, 11th for shots at goal, and 55th for contested marks. His score involvements rank 119th in the competition, and he is 327th for goal assists. His performance on Friday night, where he was well beaten by Tom Barrass and did not have a kick in the first half, has only added to concerns about consistency.
"I just don't think he's worth the money. I'd rather keep Jed Walter," Cornes said. Thomas said while the "goals are good," there is not much else to King's game. "There's not a whole heap coming with it in terms of being involved in marking on the lead, getting up the ground, contested marks," Thomas said. "So either he's playing a role that isn't giving him the opportunity to do that, or he's not quite at his best just yet."
