Ben King has officially put pen to paper on a new deal at the Gold Coast Suns.
King on Friday was announced to have penned a two-year contract extension, a deal that keeps him at the Suns through until 2026 and free agency.
The long-speculated deal is reported to be on around $1 million per season, The Age reports. The Suns have suffered a history of having to overpay star players to keep them at the expansion club, with plenty of talent walking out on the club regardless.
Optimism is high, however, that won’t be the case under new coach Damien Hardwick. Speaking to his new contract, King stated the right people were in place to lead the Suns to their first finals appearance in 14 years.
“I’m pumped to commit to the club and our playing group for what is going to be an exciting period for us,” King said in a club statement.
“There’s no ceiling to what we can achieve. I think we can challenge for premierships in the next few years and have the people and processes to do that.
“I love the group of boys we have, love the staff, love the community, and think we have the right people to challenge for flags in the future.”
King has kicked 129 goals in 73 goals since debuting in 2019, sitting third on the club’s all-time goalkicking tally.
Suns list boss Craig Cameron added: “We know how much Ben loves being at the Gold Coast SUNS so it’s pleasing to be able to finalise a new contract before the season starts to allow Ben to focus on helping us win on-field,” Cameron said.
“Ben is a key player in our future under Damien Hardwick and we look forward to seeing what he can achieve with the Gold Coast SUNS in the years to come.”
After a slow start to the pre-season due to a knee injury, King is injury-free and featured in the Suns practice match loss to Brisbane on Thursday.