Ben King kicks six goals as Suns crush Eagles in Perth

Yahoo

16-03-2025

Gold Coast forward Ben King has kicked a career-high six goals to go with an early mark-of-the-year contender as the Andrew McQualter era at West Coast started with a crushing 87-point loss at Optus Stadium.
The Suns kicked nine unanswered goals from midway through the first quarter to early in the third on the way to the 20.16 (136) to 7.7 (49) triumph in Perth on Sunday.
It marked the biggest win in Gold Coast's history, bettering their 86-point triumph over Hawthorn in 2017.
West Coast's midfield barely got going, with the likes of Tim Kelly (14 disposals) and Harley Reid (12 disposals) well below their best.
Suns ruckman Jarrod Witts (68 hitouts) had a field day against Eagles big man Matt Flynn (13 hitouts).
Compounding the Eagles' woes, All-Australian forward Jake Waterman was subbed out of the game in the third term with a right calf issue.
Gold Coast were also dealt an injury blow, with defender Charlie Ballard subbed out after jarring his left knee while landing just before half-time.
BEN KING WITH A HUGE GRAB 🙌#AFLEaglesSuns pic.twitter.com/SFwO0ro3IV
— AFL (@AFL) March 16, 2025
It was otherwise all good news for Gold Coast.
King kicked 6.2 and provided a huge highlight when he leapt onto the shoulders of Eagles defender Harry Edwards and stayed there for a couple of seconds to reel in a spectacular grab.
Ben Long kicked four goals while Jake Rogers (three goals) and Ethan Read (two goals) showed plenty of promise.
Noah Anderson (36 disposals, nine clearances, 713m gained), Matt Rowell (30 disposals, 10 clearances) and Touk Miller (26 disposals, 10 clearances) ran rampant, while former Tiger Daniel Rioli tallied 21 disposals and two goals in his Suns debut.
McQualter, in his first year as Eagles coach, promised to implement a fast-paced, exciting brand of football at West Coast.
But with the Eagles soundly beaten in the midfield, there was barely a chance for the home side to show any sort of identity.
Gold Coast's losing streak on the road extended to a club-record 16 games at one point late last season.
But their win in Perth means the 'away hoodoo' is off their shoulders early as Gold Coast target a maiden finals appearance in 2025.
The Suns led 29-13 at quarter-time, but it should have been by much more given they dominated the inside 50m count 23-4, the clearance battle 12-4 and contested possessions 39-20.
West Coast hit the lead early in the match following long-range strikes by Waterman and Oscar Allen, but the weight of numbers from Gold Coast eventually paid dividends.
The free-kick count read 8-0 before West Coast received their first of the match early in the second quarter.
It proved only a momentary respite for the Eagles as Gold Coast kicked five unanswered goals for the term to take a 45-point lead into half-time.
Reid tallied just four first-half disposals and cut a frustrated figure amidst tight attention from Gold Coast players, often engaging in wrestles or playing for free kicks.
The 19-year-old kicked a beautiful 50m goal in open play in the third term, but it was a rare highlight for the Eagles as the Suns continued to assert their dominance.
Kings's spectacular third-quarter mark was admired by the 46,532-crowd - despite him being part of the opposition.