EIGHT years into his career, Ben King has refined a "simple" routine that has him on track to be one of the deadliest shots at goal this century.

King has started the 2026 season in white hot form, kicking 16.1 from 18 kicks in his three matches to take an early lead in the race for the Coleman Medal.

Since being taken by Gold Coast with the sixth pick of the 2018 AFL Draft, King has largely been a reliable set shot, but the past two seasons he has taken it up a level.

Of current players that have kicked at least 250 goals, only Nick Larkey (66 per cent) and Jesse Hogan (60 per cent) have a more accurate conversion than his 59.5 per cent.

King is now just outside of the top 10 players for accuracy since 2002, the time Champion Data began tracking misses altogether rather than just goals and behinds.

Speaking to AFL.com.au ahead of Sunday's match against Melbourne at the MCG, King said his process was a continual work in progress.

"I've got quite a simple routine," he said.

"I get far enough back that I take the man on the mark out of it.

"I've got a little checklist of things with my alignment and where everything is facing.

"I find the kicks I don't get right, something will be heading in the wrong direction, whether it's where my hips are facing or my feet or my shoulders or whatever, something's not facing towards the goal generally.

"I feel like so much of it is mental and having those things in my routine takes care of that side of things.

"I've done it a million times in training, and I know if I do these things, generally it'll go straight."

But his accuracy is not a recent phenomenon; King kicked 71.23 last season and 55.26 in 2024.

"I also know there'll be times when it might not be going straight and I might have to tweak things," he said.

"It can be a bit up and down as well.

"Generally, I can feel if I stab at the kick or if I sit back on it too much, or where I'm facing. And (I can) try and correct it on the day, or if not, through the week."

One notable thing about King's accuracy is where he takes his shots from.

Since the start of 2025, he has kicked 47.6 from set shots inside 40m and on less than a 45-degree angle.

In other words, King plays deep and his leads to win the ball are central or not far off centre. He does take marks in the pocket, but not too often.

"Because of our gamestyle and system, a lot of times we're coming through the corridor, and the most dangerous lead for me, and the easiest one to draw ... (is) coming at the ball.

"That's why a lot of them are central. It's a result of our system and everyone playing their role to give me that space."

King has had his troubles with wayward kicking in the past, but the longer he's in the system, the more dialled in his routine becomes.

"What works for me is not going to work for everyone else," he said.

"You can get tips from other people, but it's one you have to trial and error to see what makes you feel good about the kick at the top of the mark and makes you feel confident.

"You have to take a bit of ownership of your routine. You'll get it wrong a few times and then figure out what works."

Shot at goal accuracy (2002-2026)

(includes missed shots, not just goals and behinds)

Shot at goal accuracy (current players)