Ben King (footballer)

Ben King (born 7 July 2000) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has a twin brother Max King, who plays for St Kilda.

Ben King
King playing for Gold Coast in May 2019.
Personal information
Full name Benjamin King
Nickname(s) Kingy[1]
Date of birth (2000-07-07) 7 July 2000
Place of birth Melbourne, Victoria
Original team(s) Sandringham Dragons (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 6, 2018 national draft
Height 202 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Weight 87 kg (192 lb)
Position(s) Full-forward
Club information
Current club Gold Coast
Number 34
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2019– Gold Coast 31 (42)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2020.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

King was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He and his twin brother Max began playing Australian rules football for the East Sandringham Football Club in the South Metro Junior Football League.[2] The twins worked their way through the junior ranks before both being selected to represent the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup while also attending Haileybury.[3] Through their time at Haileybury the twins were closely mentored by three time Coleman Medal winner Matthew Lloyd.[4]

Ben's draft stocks rose in his final year of junior football when his twin brother's ACL injury[5] allowed him to play as the key forward for the Victoria Metro team at the U18 National Championships. He was subsequently named the All-Australian full forward for his performances during the championships.[6] His junior football came to an end in mid-September 2018 when Sandringham fell to Dandenong in the TAC Cup preliminary final.[7] In November 2018, he was drafted by Gold Coast with the sixth selection in the 2018 national draft.[8]

King earned an ATAR score of 96.34 upon graduation from high school.[9]

AFL career

King made his AFL debut for Gold Coast against Port Adelaide in the ninth round of the 2019 AFL season. In round 19 of the 2019 season, he earned a nomination for the 2019 AFL Rising Star after a four goal performance while playing on highly experienced Essendon defender Cale Hooker.[10] King rejected offers to return to Victoria in October 2019 by signing a two-year extension with the Suns.[11]

References
  1. "Weird footy nicknames: So why do they call Gov 'Brackets'?". AFL.com. 17 May 2019.
  2. McEvoy, Simon (12 November 2018). "2018 AFL draft: Twins Ben and Max King looking forward to the 'next chapter'".
  3. "King twins unfazed about being split through the AFL draft". 29 July 2018.
  4. Balmer, Matt (30 October 2018). "AFL Draft 2018: Identical twin brothers Max and Ben King share incredibly tight bond".
  5. Twomey, Callum (23 April 2018). "Scans confirm ACL for No.1 pick contender".
  6. Twomey, Callum (19 November 2018). "Tomorrow's Heroes: Tall's versatility a big selling point".
  7. Bunn, Sam (15 September 2018). "Gallant Dragons Eliminated by Dandenong".
  8. Cleary, Mitch (22 November 2018). "King move sees pick six finally finish the longest journey".
  9. Laughton, Max (18 December 2018). "The AFL draftees who nailed Year 12 VCE studies while also getting drafted in 2018".
  10. Collins, Ben. "King of the kids: Big Sun the latest Rising Star". Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  11. Balmer, Matt. "Gold Coast lock down young gun - and more players are on the way". Retrieved 14 October 2019.
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