23-point win over the Saints<\/a> to finish the Suns\u2019 disappointing 2026 season on a high.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
But the teary scenes in the rooms post-match drew attention, amid reports linking King to a six-year deal at the Hawks.<\/p>\n
Coach Damien Hardwick all but conceded King\u2019s exit when stating the star would go \u201cwith the our blessings\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love the guy \u2013 I think everything\u2019s been handled really well. I\u2019m getting emotional looking at him now,\u201d Hardwick said as vision of King getting embraced in the rooms played.<\/p>\n
There were emotional scenes for Ben King in the Suns rooms post-match.Source: FOX SPORTSThere were emotional scenes for Ben King in the Suns rooms post-match.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is free agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s done a stellar job for our footy club. He\u2019s been a stand up guy. He\u2019s had a terrific year first and foremost.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever the decision may be, we love him as a player, as a person.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been a strong person of our footy club and we just love what he brings.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe probably know which way it\u2019s headed \u2013 at the end of the day he goes with our blessings if that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking on 7Sport post-match, King conceded his time on the Gold Coast could be done.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, it could be,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s still a lot to work with.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever happens over the next couple of months, I love this group of blokes. It\u2019s been really special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fox Footy\u2019s Jon Ralph confirmed the Hawks\u2019 six-year deal on the table for King, with Hardwick stating his side needed to add \u201ca little bit of experience\u201d to bolster young forwards Jed Walter and Ethan Read.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s played his last game \u2013 it was so emotional,\u201d Ralph said of King.<\/p>\n
Leo Lombard embraces teammate Ben King during their final match of 2026.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cEven speaking to Noah Anderson there, said it had been a challenge \u2013 he\u2019s his best mate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve already reported he has confided in some teammates that he will leave. We know he\u2019s going to Hawthorn.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething changed around the Darwin trip \u2013 they were so confident. They felt they were days away from securing him on a two-year deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know the family pull but all of a sudden he went radio silence in terms of his communication with the club.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe will leave on a six-year deal of about $1.2 million. It could come as early as the exit interviews Monday or Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe club\u2019s football boss in Craig Cameron says we\u2019ll explore all of the options \u2013 I think what that mostly means is they\u2019ll secure pick 7 as free agency compensation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re really keen to go to the market. Another experienced player to bring in.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou might get two late first round picks from Hawthorn. You won\u2019t get a better deal than pick 7.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey know they need stars \u2013 but they don\u2019t know exactly who that player would be to replace Ben King.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ben King has all but played his final game for the Gold Coast Suns as he cut an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":862218,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-862217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=862217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/862218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=862217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=862217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=862217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}