STUART Dew looked almost as sick as Ben King when his star young forward crumpled to the turf during Gold Coast training on Thursday morning.
He had every right to.
Not only was the Suns' coach watching his spearhead suffer what has now been confirmed as a season-ending ACL injury, but with it, a big dent in his team's chances for 2022.
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King's injury continues a curse that has dogged Gold Coast since it came into the competition in 2011.
Just when it looks like something good might be on the horizon, disaster strikes.
You could start with Gary Ablett's shoulder injury in 2014 that set the Suns on a skid from being entrenched in the top eight to missing the finals altogether.
NAB Rising Star winner Jaeger O'Meara ruptured his patella tendon in a NEAFL practise match in 2015 and did not play another senior game for the Suns in two years before switching to Hawthorn.
In 2020, it was No.1 pick Matt Rowell who fell victim, busting his shoulder against Geelong after taking the AFL world by storm with three successive best-on-ground performances.
And last year, Jarrod Witts' season ended in round three when he ruptured his ACL.
The list is long – too long.
Dew hasn't got time to worry about any of that though, he needs to figure out how to fill the 202cm hole King has left in his forward line.
The talent itself is irreplaceable. King has kicked 89 goals from 53 games, most of which have seen him marked by the opposition's best defender, who is usually stronger and more experienced.
Last season alone he kicked 47 from 22 games in a team that wasn't exactly peppering the ball inside 50 (48.7 a game to rank 16th in the competition).
Complicating the tall forward set-up is a wrist injury to stalwart Sam Day that has him racing the clock to be back for the start of the season.
Structurally, the Suns still have a chance though.
In the off-season they acquired free agent Mabior Chol from Richmond to play as a forward/ruck.
There's also former No.2 pick Jack Lukosius, who has spent all pre-season in the forward line.
The acquisition that is looking more astute by the minute is that of former Blue Levi Casboult, snapped up in the NAB AFL Rookie Draft. He brings 154 games of experience and a burly frame that can keep a key defender occupied.
There's also Josh Corbett and Chris Burgess in the mix as proven options.
Although none of them are a like-for-like replacement for King, collectively there's enough talent and diversity to provide a contest and kick goals for Izak Rankine, Ben Ainsworth, Nick Holman and the small forward brigade to prosper.
Gold Coast also has the option to add another key forward via the Pre-Season Supplemental Selection Period (SSP) rules before March 9 or keep the list spot open for the mid-season draft.
What does it mean for Dew, who is out of contract and needing to show progress on last year's seven victories to extend his stay at Carrara?
King is not the difference between winning six games and winning 12, but it's a monkey wrench Dew could do without.
He will be judged on other criteria, but as coaches like to declare when they're asked about covering an injured player, perhaps this will be an opportunity for Dew to further show his wares under some adversity.
And for King, out-of-contract at season's end, and already the centre of speculation with a handful of Victorian clubs circling to lure him back to his home state?
The injury is unlikely to make any difference to the demand for him – Gold Coast is still desperate to keep him, and even with 12 months on the sidelines, any rival club running an eye over King will not lose an ounce of interest.
There's not many test cases to measure this against. Former No.1 pick Jonathon Patton ruptured his ACL twice before the end of his third season, and Greater Western Sydney had no hesitation extending his deal by two years.
For King, it sucks – terribly. For Dew and Gold Coast, it's an opportunity to write history, show some steel and climb the ladder after being hit with a straight right to the nose.
