Collingwood ‘very, very confident' of landing Gold Coast forward Ben King in 2026
Collingwood are 'very confident' of landing the prized signature of Gold Coast forward Ben King, according to 7NEWS reporter Ryan Daniels.
King looming as one of the hottest free agents at the end of next year with clubs already making moves to secure the key forward.
The 24-year-old signed a two-year extension ahead of last season, which takes him through until the end of next year when he qualifies as a free agent.
King has kicked 33 goals from 12 games this season to be sitting fourth in the Coleman Medal race behind leader Jeremy Cameron (44), although he has played two less games than the superstar Cat.
He has previously been linked to a move to St Kilda where his brother Max plays, but the Pies are believed to leading the race.
Collingwood, the current premiership favourites, have an ageing forward line with key talls Brody Mihocek (32), Tim Membrey (30) and Dan McStay (turning 30 next week) all in the latter stages of their careers, as well as Jamie Elliott (32).
'We've heard a lot about the interest in Ben King for years here in the Victorian clubs but I have it on good authority that Collingwood are very, very confident that this time next year that Ben King will be a Magpie, or very close to it,' Daniels said on Triple M this weekend.
'He's out of contract next year, that's when they're going to go super, super hard at him. They want him to be the next piece of the puzzle. I think they are super, super confident.
'Things can drift as we know, things can change. We thought Kozzy Pickett was going to be a Docker. But I know within the Pies, they are feeling pretty good about themselves in the Ben King space.
'If Matt Rowell stays at the Suns, it changes things a little bit for them, but Ben King is a separate entity. They're separate things. So I would be more confident in Ben King getting there by a little later than this time next year.'
Collingwood will have a number of tough calls to make with their veterans in the next few years.
Scott Pendlebury is reportedly in talks to continue his career into a remarkable 21st season, but the future is cloudy for a number of his teammates.
Steele Sidebottom, Jeremy Howe, Elliott, Mihocek, WIll Hoskin-Elliott, Tom Mitchell and Mason Cox are all out of contract at the end of this season.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
West Coast Eagles young gun Harley Reid fined for striking Lachie Fogarty as Oscar Allen faces injury stint
West Coast star Harley Reid will be free to face Collingwood post the bye after escaping with a fine for striking Carlton defender Lachie Fogarty with an elbow in their 34-point defeat on Sunday. It's one weight off the Eagles' shoulders, with spearhead Oscar Allen set to join a long and worrisome injury list for the embattled WA club. Reid will also be breathing a sigh of relief, now available to return to his home state when West Coast take on the Pies at Marvel Stadium in round 16. The rising star threw his left arm back after being run down in a tackle on Sunday, making contact with Fogarty's face and sparking a brief melee after the Blue immediately remonstrated. The act was graded careless conduct, low impact and high contact, attracting a $2000 fine with an early guilty plea. It was the lowlight of what was otherwise Reid's best performance of the season, with 28 touches and five clearances in the wet, earning two coach's votes. Reid's input is likely to be vital against the high-flying Pies as well, with co-captain Allen facing time on the sidelines with a leg concern, joining Jake Waterman, Jeremy McGovern and Elliot Yeo in the injury ward. The Eagles were confident Allen had 'avoided all the worst-case scenarios' on Sunday night after the spearhead went down behind the play, clutching his lower leg and struggling to limp off even with assistance from medical staff. Coach Andrew McQualter revealed the club's medical team suspected Allen had injured his plantaris muscle, which is a tendon in the back of the leg running from the knee to the ankle next to the Achilles Tendon. The injury, often referred to as Tennis Leg, faces a recovery time anywhere between 12 days for a Grade 1 strain to at least eight weeks for a tear. If Allen's injury is on the severe side of the scale, it would all but end his season and could mean the Carlton clash was the last time the forward pulls on the blue and gold should he opt to explore free agency at the end of the season. An update on Allen's injury is expected from West Coast on Tuesday.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
West Coast Eagles young gun Harley Reid fined for striking Lachie Fogarty as Oscar Allen faces injury stint
West Coast star Harley Reid will be free to face Collingwood post the bye after escaping with a fine for striking Carlton defender Lachie Fogarty with an elbow in their 34-point defeat on Sunday. It's one weight off the Eagles' shoulders, with spearhead Oscar Allen set to join a long and worrisome injury list for the embattled WA club. Reid will also be breathing a sigh of relief, now available to return to his home state when West Coast take on the Pies at Marvel Stadium in round 16. The rising star threw his left arm back after being run down in a tackle on Sunday, making contact with Fogarty's face and sparking a brief melee after the Blue immediately remonstrated. The act was graded careless conduct, low impact and high contact, attracting a $2000 fine with an early guilty plea. It was the lowlight of what was otherwise Reid's best performance of the season, with 28 touches and five clearances in the wet, earning two coach's votes. Reid's input is likely to be vital against the high-flying Pies as well, with co-captain Allen facing time on the sidelines with a leg concern, joining Jake Waterman, Jeremy McGovern and Elliot Yeo in the injury ward. The Eagles were confident Allen had 'avoided all the worst-case scenarios' on Sunday night after the spearhead went down behind the play, clutching his lower leg and struggling to limp off even with assistance from medical staff. Camera Icon Oscar Allen of the Eagles is assisted to the change rooms. Credit: Paul Kane / Getty Images Coach Andrew McQualter revealed the club's medical team suspected Allen had injured his plantaris muscle, which is a tendon in the back of the leg running from the knee to the ankle next to the Achilles Tendon. The injury, often referred to as Tennis Leg, faces a recovery time anywhere between 12 days for a Grade 1 strain to at least eight weeks for a tear. If Allen's injury is on the severe side of the scale, it would all but end his season and could mean the Carlton clash was the last time the forward pulls on the blue and gold should he opt to explore free agency at the end of the season. An update on Allen's injury is expected from West Coast on Tuesday.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
West Coast winger Tyrell Dewar earns Eagles' first Rising Star award nomination for 2025
West Coast have earned their first Rising Star nomination of the season, with young winger Tyrell Dewar earning the nod against Carlton. Dewar produced one of his best games to date in the 34-point defeat to Carlton in the wet on Sunday, amassing 27 disposals and nine marks to go with a game-high 843 metres gained. The 21-year-old Naitanui Academy graduate has shown strong form since being recalled to the team from a WAFL stint and signing a three-year contract extension. Dewar is producing career-bests across the board after getting his first significant run at playing time under first-year coach Andrew McQualter in 2025. 'It was one of my goals at the start of the year to get a Rising Star,' Dewar said. 'I'm stoked that I got it. 'I played as a forward all last year, played seven games and I wanted to come back to pre-season in good nick and impress the new coach, 'Mini'. 'He said he saw me on the wing and half-back. First half against Carlton I was in the backline and then I got the call up to go to the wing in the second half. That was a good move, I loved it there. 'I tried to pull off a few kicks, some didn't work but some did. I reckon that's my main danger - taking on those kicks.' West Coast's latest mid-season draft gem, Tom McCarthy, also produced a debut to remember against the Blues, surpassing Murray Wrenstead's mark for most disposals for an Eagles debutant with 31, two more than Wrenstead. However, the mature-aged recruit is too old at 24 to earn a Rising Star nomination despite having never played AFL, the criteria stating a player must be under 21 years of age on January 1st of the year and have played 10 or fewer AFL games before the start of the season. McCarthy realised his AFL dream last month when his name was called with the first selection in the mid-year mini-draft. And he didn't need to bide his time in the WAFL long, impressing McQualter with a dashing role off half back. McCarthy's debut against Carlton was nothing short of remarkable despite his side being blown out of the water from the start, giving up 10 of the first 11 majors. The 24-year-old had an impressive nine intercept possessions and nine contested possessions while only producing two turnovers, a disposals efficiency of 94 per cent, on a wet day at Optus Stadium. McCarthy was playing suburban football just two seasons ago but knocked the AFL door down during a stint with Richmond's VFL side. The Victorian was also one of only two Eagles to score coach's votes in the 34-point defeat, McCarthy scoring one and young gun Harley Reid getting two for his 28-disposals effort.
