Ben King AFL: Fox Footy’s Alastair Lynch says Suns should consider throwing key forward down back

Gold Coast might contemplate moving Ben King farther up the field, according to Alastair Lynch of Fox Footy, in order to assist the star forwards play himself out of a concerning form slump.

In the 40-point loss to GWS on Sunday, King had just four disposals and one mark, extending his goalless streak to four games.

Since the season opener, the 23-year-old has scored in 14 consecutive games, but he has been scoreless since Round 15's victory over Hawthorn.

With this weekend's matchup against Brisbane's in-form key defender Jack Payne, Lynch speculated that moving King to the flank or maybe center half-back might help restore some of King's confidence.

"There's no way to avoid it. A lot of the club's success depends on a key forward around whom to build a team. Ben King is important to the Suns, and I think everyone knows it, so there is a lot of pressure on him, Lynch told this newspaper.

"The coach would wonder, 'What's the best way to get him up and moving?'

"We talk all the time about how to get him back to the way he played for most of the year, which was taking strong marks and being a strong force in the forwards 50.

It could possibly be on the table for this next week... Do you raise him up somewhere? Alternatively, you may tell him to get up.

You may have a decent game by spoiling it away and getting some uncontested possession on the way out if you go to center halfback for half the game, where the ball isn't being sat on your head.

The three-time premiership player for the Brisbane Lions proposed that the Suns use the same strategy that the Lions and Chris Fagan employed this year to help Joe Daniher and Eric Hipwood return to form.

A typical example would be Joe Daniher. When the chance presented itself to put him as the second ruck, Lynch took it. "He was struggling a little bit at the beginning of the year, and he was able to get up the ground" after that.

Joe went into the ruck and was able to grab some uncontested ball around the ground, which boosted his confidence and allowed him to go forwards and win the disputed ball, whereas I would be hesitant to put Ben into the ruck because of his knee (injury) history.

I have no doubt that the Suns would see Joe Daniher's career as an example to follow. It may be for a limited amount of time in a game; I wouldn't play ruck, but I could see myself at center halfback or wing.

According to Lynch, the bare minimum for King this weekend is to have an effect in every game he plays in if the Suns aren't going to put their great forwards behind the ball.

The Suns cannot afford to allow Harris Andrews to dictate play as they did against the Cats, especially after Brisbane held Geelong to a single goal until midway through the third quarter.

"If he's playing on Jack Payne this week and Harris Andrews is just floating across the front and taking intercept marks all the time, that's the number one thing the Suns' coaches don't want to see," Lynch said.

"Do everything you can to mark the ball, but you can't get out-marked if Andrews is coming across. You have to fight for the ball and get it to the ground.

An illustration would be Eric Hipwood. He started giving every opponent he faced a run for their money in the air, and his focus shifted from scoring to preventing his opponents from out-marking him.

His numbers perhaps weren't too fantastic against GWS early in the season, but his outstanding effort in competition certainly stood out. The goals and grades followed on the heels of his newly found self-assurance.

"There's no doubt about Ben's skill and fitness. If the first one works, it can give him a lot of confidence. The risk is that Ben is thinking about goals, but he only needs to battle in the air.