Matthew Lloyd wonders if four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson could be the key in Gold Coast retaining some of their best young players beyond 2022.
Clarkson will take a coaching sabbatical next year, but did however hint at a possible return to coaching in 2023, and it has been reported that AFL chief Gillon McLachlan remains in pursuit of Clarkson for the Suns coaching job, currently occupied by Stuart Dew.
Young Suns star Ben King has been linked with a move back to Victoria, where he grew up alongside twin brother Max, and if Clarkson were to make a return to the coaching ranks, Lloyd feels he’d have the ability to retain the likes of King.
“17 clubs would want him (King), and no other club would want him than the Gold Coast Suns. It would be an absolute heartbreaker if he decided to leave,” Lloyd said on AFL Trade Radio.
“At the end of the day, they’ll do what’s best for Ben and his future, they’re a close family.
“It would be an absolute disaster if he moved on.
“You’d try and sign him for five years, and longer it goes, if he hasn’t signed, they’d start to realise that they’ve got a few concerns here.
“I just wonder, and all due respect to Stuart Dew, whether Alastair Clarkson potentially comes into the framework in July as he said on TV the other night, whether that then helps with retaining players, there’s a lot to play out at the Gold Coast across the next six to eight months.”
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Former Carlton list manager Stephen Silvagni believes the Suns have an “exciting list” and have the potential in becoming “a strong team for a long time”.
“I think you look at their list, I think it’s an exciting list and it’d be nice to have them all on the field at the one time, they have got exciting young talent, their Academy is producing young talent, they should be a strong team for a long time,” Silvagni said.
“I think Jack Lukosius is a very good player as well and we know what Izak Rankine can do, and they’ve got some other young boys that are really improving.
“He’s (King) got to work out whether he sees a really strong future at that football club, or whether he wants to come home.”
King has played 52 games for Gold Coast in three seasons, booting 85 goals.