Demonland

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/new-melbourne-coach-steven-king-has-christian-petracca-and-clayton-oliver-in-his-ideal-side-for-2026/news-story/a0ce25cd7ecef0cf8e8c8a4169c4c25e?giftid=ScFmKPHEi1

'We got our man': Dees CEO reveals why Steven King was ch...Demons CEO Paul Guerra joined 3AW Football to discuss the overall process and spoke about what impressed him and the selection panel the most about King's pitch.

'We got our man': Dees CEO reveals why Steven King was ch...Demons CEO Paul Guerra joined 3AW Football to discuss the overall process and spoke about what impressed him and the selection panel the most about King's pitch.

From Whispering Jack on FB It’s been another big week in football, and the Melbourne Football Club’s process of appointing a new senior coach has been as captivating as any top-shelf suspense thriller, with the unexpected twist being the appointment of Steven King over Nathan Buckley, who had been the apparent front-runner for the position. At least we put Bucks out of his misery. You could write a book about the years ahead for King. They bring the promise of different seasons and redemption for the club and a big future for the man who once famously kicked Demon ruckman Jeff White in the head in an AFL final but next year will be coaching White’s son. To Steven King - be strong and of good courage. That’s my advice from a Jack to a King. ELVIS PRESLEY - FROM A JACK TO A KING

22nd November but will be celebrated on 8th June in 2026.

The headlines are going to write themselves: Steven King's Misery Steven King's Horror Show Steven King's Stand Steven King's Salem's Lot

Melbourne's inaugural match against Port Adelaide The undefeated Demons venture across the continent to the spiritual home of the Port Adelaide Football Club on Saturday afternoon for the inaugural match for premiership points between these long-historied clubs. Alberton Oval will however, be a ground familiar to our players following a practice match there last year. We lost both the game and Liv Purcell, who missed 7 home and away matches after suffering facial fractures in the dying moments of the game. Demons coach Mick Stinear will test his wits against Port’s Lauren Arnell this week. Lauren has an impressive women’s CV. She was the first former AFLW player to become a senior coach and won nine premierships playing during the incredibly successful Darebin Falcons era. With 36 games of AFLW, her last game a Brisbane premiership, so we can expect her to challenge the Demons brains trust. Ideal footy conditions are forecast —17 degrees, overcast skies, and a light breeze—expect a brutal, physical game. So long as we switch on and match their intensity, our ruthlessly efficient and tall timbered forward line will severely test the defensive capabilities of Port Adelaide at their home. The Match-up The Demons have four straight wins and sit second on the ladder, and while the Power have been competitive, their only win was against the struggling Suns. Port players to watch include their talented ruck Matilda Scholz, secret-weapon half-back Molly Brooksby and genuine young gun Shineah Goody. Throw in tough cookies Abby Dowrick and Kirsty Lamb and forward craft talent in Gemma Houghton and ex-Dee Ash Woodland and expect this is to be a hard-hitting away encounter. Melbourne starts favourites ($1.20) but there’s no room for complacency. Selection this week News that Goldrick and Gillard are 1-2 weeks away is heartwarming. Could it be that the rehab bad juju is finally lifting? No changes this week other than our name. Port has made one forced change, bringing back the experienced Kirsty Lamb from injury. Meggs’ musings As predicted, last week the all-conquering North Melbourne has broken Melbourne’s longest winning streak (14 games, R5 2022-R5 2023) to have 15 wins on the trot since R3 2024 and still going. Which team will be the first to defeat the Kangas? This week Kate Hore surpasses Lily Mithen’s record for most games in the Red and Blue (82), noting the perennial Paxy Paxman trails Kate by just one game. Our skipper is having a stellar season, has been a matchwinner and leads the competition all-time goalkicking with 88 goals. Running out of superlatives. Vice-captain Tyla Hanks is starring this season too with 32 AFLWPA Coaches Award votes, to sit equal second, 3 votes shy of North’s ball-magnet Ash Riddell. Apart from Hore’s expected games tally record, three Demons will reach their own games milestones on Saturday. Tayla Harris will be playing her 75th game overall while Megan Fitzsimon celebrates 50 games and father/daughter Georgia Campbell will reach 25 games played. Congratulations all and yet another reason why Meggs is looking forward to switching on the telly to watch the Dees win from the couch 😊. C’mon Dees! Tip: Melbourne by 16. Expect a hard-fought win in hostile territory. THE GAME Round 5: Melbourne v Port Adelaide on Saturday 13 September 2025 at 3:05pm (AEST) at Alberton Oval, Adelaide – Kaurna HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Melbourne 0 wins | Port Adelaide 0 wins At Alberton Oval: Melbourne 0 wins | Port Adelaide 0 wins Coaches: Stinear 0 wins | Arnell 0 wins MEDIA COVERAGE Foxtel, Kayo AFL Live Official App THIS WEEK’S TEAMS MELBOURNE FB [28] Saraid Taylor [32] Gabrielle Colvin HB [11] Molly O'Hehir [19] Laela Ebert [13] Maeve Chaplin C [22] Eliza McNamara [5] Tyla Hanks [4] Paxy Paxman HF [24] Megan Fitzsimon [6] Alyssa Bannan [7] Tayla Harris FF [29] Eden Zanker [9] Georgia Gall FOL [15] Lauren Pearce [10] Kate Hore [30] Shelley Heath I/C [1] Georgia Campbell [12] Ryleigh Wotherspoon [20] Maggie Mahony [33] Lily Johnson [43] Jemma Rigoni EMG [3] Alyssia Pisano [14] Amelia Dethridge [35] Mekah Morrissy* NO CHANGE *Top-up player PORT ADELAIDE FB [20] Sachi Syme [21] Amelia Borg HB [12] Ella Heads [30] Teagan Germech [6] Molly Brooksby C [16] Shineah Goody [5] Abby Dowrick [17] Ella Boag HF [1] Justine Mules-Robinson [32] Jasmin Sowden [27] Gemma Houghton FF [8] Ashleigh Woodland [10] Indy Tahu FOL [29] Matilda Scholz [35] Kirsty Lamb [9] Maria Moloney I/C [2] Ebony O’Dea [3] Jasmine Evans [31] Chloe Gaunt [44] Katelyn Pope [23] Alissa Brook EMG [7] Lily Paterson [13] Jasmin Stewart [19] Coby Morgan IN Jasmine Evans, Kirsty Lamb OUT Lily Paterson (omitted), Cheyenne Hammond (injured) Injury List: Round 5 Melbourne Tahlia Gillard — knee / 1 - 2 weeks Sinéad Goldrick — shoulder / 1 - 2 weeks Denby Taylor foot — foot / 2 - 3 weeks Sarah Lampard — calf / 3 - 4 weeks Grace Beasley — knee / 5 - 7 weeks Blaithin Mackin — knee / 6 - 8 weeks Olivia Purcell — knee / Season Jacinta Hose — knee / Inactive Aimee Mackin — knee / Inactive Port Adelaide Jemima Charity — knee / TBC Lauren Young — concussion / 1 week Janelle Cuthbertson — foot / 1-3 weeks Piper Window — ankle / 1-3 weeks Julia Teakle — foot / 2-4 weeks Cheyenne Hammond — finger / 3-5 weeks Caitlin Wendland — knee /Season

IF ...I've always rated the footy smarts of Charlie Spargo ... THEN ...I still don't believe that his exit as an unrestricted free agent to North Melbourne would be worthy of any compensation. Let's see the secret herbs and spices that go into this one.

Interesting that Sammy Edmund says that Buckley is still favourite "should he continue in the process .. I don't know if that is an absolute given at the moment".

From 13:15 mins

Check the Trac thread: https://demonland.com/forums/topic/61260-petracca-oliver-at-the-dees-in-2026/page/77/#findComment-2694920 Trying to make something out of nothing or is it where there is smoke there is fire. Anyway don't discuss here. Click the thread to read and discuss the tea leaves there.

PETRACCA RAISES EYEBROWS AT DEES’ B & FChristian Petracca raised the eyebrows of former Melbourne players in the room with a curious answer to his motivations to returning to the club this year. But he did appear to commit himself to the club for 2026 as he accepted his runner-up award in the best-and-fairest behind victor Max Gawn. When asked by host Clint Stanaway how he had worked so hard to get back to playing after last year’s serious internal injuries he replied: “I get paid … It’s my job”. Ex-players in the room had hoped he might have reflected on his love of the jumper or his club. But to be fair to Petracca he quickly spoke about his passion for the game as he said he would work over the off-season to help restore the Demons to their 2021 premiership heights. “It’s not just my job, it’s my passion. I love footy. I am competitive,” he said. “When you have an injury like last year, some setback or traumatic injury it makes you realise how precious life is and also how appreciative we are for the job we have a players. “It’s amazing walking back into the footy club and doing what we do every day which is being around the boys and kicking the footy. “Day one of pre-season and over off-season I will reflect on the season we had but also how can I get better but also as a team. On behalf of all the players we are fortunate to have tasted success in 2021 and there is no greater feeling.”

Luke Jackson is adamant he is staying at Fremantle but is keen to train across summer in the position where he will be played in 2026. He had his exit interview on Wednesday and has no intention of looking around at another club, comfortable staying at the Dockers. Jackson was continually linked to a return to Melbourne this season with his partner Kelsey Browne from Geelong. Jackson had spent most of last off-season in Victoria, with the Demons keen to drag him home. But he has no intention of pursuing a trade and his contract through to 2029 has incentives and games-based triggers to make it extremely lucrative while extending it past that date. Jackson trained as a forward all of last summer but the emergence of Patrick Voss as a forward and Sean Darcy’s early injury concerns meant he played mostly ruck early. The club then took a horses for courses approach to the ruck setup depending upon the opponent. But if Jackson is to play as a ruckman and onballer he will be keen to train in that position across summer and continue his rate of improvement. The club has lost the retiring Nat Fyfe and veteran Michael Walters but kept inside mid Neil Erasmus for the next three years. It is understood at one stage he was leaning towards moving to the Dogs to get more inside midfielder opportunities and had made up his mind to explore a new home. But he woke up on the Sunday morning of the pre-finals bye after a solid month-long stretch of football and made it clear he was staying. A deal was quickly brokered by the Dockers.

DEES COACHING SEARCH LATESTMelbourne believes it has as many as three elite coaching candidates from its five remaining contenders despite Hayden Skipworth’s withdrawal from the coaching process. Geelong assistant coach James Kelly is seen as the outsider in the race given his relative inexperience and would be at the longest odds to win the role. But even if Nathan Buckley eventually withdrew from the Demons coaching race, the interviewees were extremely impressive. Some of the candidates are said to have blown the coaching search panel away, which puts them in a good spot given a range of quality candidates. Daniel Giansiracusa, Brendon Lade, Kelly and Steven King are all in the race along with former Pies senior coach Buckley. Three of those candidates are believed to have interviewed extremely well and put themselves in the race for the job.

Always a Premiership Hero

It definitely wasn't a slip by Richo considering there was a graphic on the screen with his image amongst the delisted players. I don't know why it wasn't announced amongst the other delistings on the MFC socials earlier in the day or separately or even communicated since.