Ben King (footballer)
Ben King | |||
---|---|---|---|
Personal information | |||
Full name | Benjamin King | ||
Nickname(s) | Kingy[1] | ||
Date of birth | 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 | 96 kg (212 lb) | ||
Position(s) | Full-forward | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Gold Coast | ||
Number | 34 | ||
Playing career1 | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
2019– | Gold Coast | 53 (89) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 23, 2021. | |||
Career highlights | |||
| |||
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com |
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.
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]
Statistics[]
- 'Statistics are correct to the end of round 23, 2021.[12]
G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks |
Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
2019 | Gold Coast | 34 | 14 | 17 | 9 | 65 | 134 | 99 | 48 | 10 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 4.6 | 2.4 | 7.1 | 3.4 | 0.7 |
2020[a] | Gold Coast | 34 | 17 | 25 | 20 | 88 | 33 | 121 | 48 | 7 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 5.2 | 2.0 | 7.1 | 2.8 | 0.4 |
2021 | Gold Coast | 34 | 22 | 47 | 22 | 112 | 47 | 159 | 81 | 16 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 5.9 | 2.5 | 8.4 | 4.3 | 0.8 |
Career | 53 | 89 | 51 | 265 | 114 | 379 | 177 | 33 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 7.6 | 3.5 | 0.7 |
- ^ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
References[]
- ^ "Weird footy nicknames: So why do they call Gov 'Brackets'?". AFL.com. 17 May 2019.
- ^ McEvoy, Simon (12 November 2018). "2018 AFL draft: Twins Ben and Max King looking forward to the 'next chapter'".
- ^ "King twins unfazed about being split through the AFL draft". 29 July 2018.
- ^ Balmer, Matt (30 October 2018). "AFL Draft 2018: Identical twin brothers Max and Ben King share incredibly tight bond".
- ^ Twomey, Callum (23 April 2018). "Scans confirm ACL for No.1 pick contender".
- ^ Twomey, Callum (19 November 2018). "Tomorrow's Heroes: Tall's versatility a big selling point".
- ^ Bunn, Sam (15 September 2018). "Gallant Dragons Eliminated by Dandenong".
- ^ Cleary, Mitch (22 November 2018). "King move sees pick six finally finish the longest journey".
- ^ Laughton, Max (18 December 2018). "The AFL draftees who nailed Year 12 VCE studies while also getting drafted in 2018".
- ^ Collins, Ben. "King of the kids: Big Sun the latest Rising Star". Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ Balmer, Matt. "Gold Coast lock down young gun - and more players are on the way". Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- ^ "Ben King". afltables.com. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
External links[]
- Ben King's profile on the official website of the Gold Coast Football Club
- Ben King's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- 2000 births
- Living people
- People educated at Haileybury (Melbourne)
- Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia)
- Gold Coast Football Club players
- Twin sportspeople
- Twin people from Australia