Demonland

A good mate of Clarrys ...

Geelong legend Matthew Scarlett remains an assistant coach of interest at Melbourne. The Demons have Scarlett among a number of options to help support newly-appointed senior coach Steven King. But as premiership teammates at the Cats, Melbourne is quietly hopeful the connection between the pair can tempt Scarlett to make regular trips up the highway for a coaching role. Scarlett hasn’t been involved in AFL clubland since leaving Geelong at the end of the 2021 season. An AFL Hall of Fame defender, he played in three premierships with Geelong and is a six-time All Australian. Yesterday, Melbourne CEO Paul Guerra shed light on why the club hired King as the new senior coach. He was announced last week after 30 prospective coaches were interviewed. “A number of reasons. He’s a standout person for starters, a great family man,” Guerra said on SEN’s Fireball. “We loved his articulation of the game plan, particularly the contemporary side of it. We love how he’s using technology to inform that as well. “We just love his ability to communicate. We think he’s the right choice for our team with where we’re at right now.”

Melbourne has come for Collingwood’s Brody Mihocek “in a big way”. Channel 7’s Mitch Cleary is reporting that the Demons are intent on luring the 32-year-old who is out of contract at the end of this season. North Melbourne and Sydney have been loosely linked with Mihocek in recent times, but it appears as though the Dees - with new coach Steven King in the hot seat - are eager to recruit some experience. Mihocek has an offer on the table from the Magpies but it remains to be seen if he’ll put pen to paper. “We heard Steven King earlier talking about experience and wanting to keep experience on the list,” Cleary said on The Agenda Setters. “The Demons have come for Brody Mihocek in a big way. The Pies feel they’ve had a really strong offer to Mihocek on the table for some time. “He’s parked that until the end of the season. He turns 33 in February. I believe he’s weighing up a really strong proposal to join the Melbourne Footy Club. “They had a go at (Joe) Daniher at the start of the year, clearly that won’t be happening. “Melbourne is in the market for an experienced key forward and they’ve identified this man, Brody Mihocek.” Agenda Setters host Craig Hutchison believes Mihocek, who has kicked 267 goals in 158 games for the Pies, has put in the hard yards and now deserves a deal that suits him. “He’s never been paid, really,” he said. “He’s always been justifying his next contract. If there’s a good deal there you couldn’t begrudge him taking it.” Mihocek is in a race to prove his fitness ahead of Saturday night’s Preliminary Final clash with Brisbane at the MCG. He’s been nursing a sore toe which forced him off the training track last Friday night. The 2023 premiership player has booted 36 goals in 2025 to sit second behind Jamie Elliott (56) on the Maggies’ goal kicking list.

The talks around Christian Petracca leaving Melbourne have accelerated with the Norm Smith medallist willing to consider more clubs as a future home. The latest on Petracca and fellow Dees star Clayton Oliver. Melbourne star Christian Petracca has opened up his options and would consider a trade interstate to continue his AFL career, as talks heat up over the four-time All-Australian’s exit. Meanwhile Clayton Oliver is committed to staying at the Demons and playing an integral role under new coach Steven King. Petracca, 29, was keen on an exit last year but Melbourne could not and would not trade him to his desired home of a big Victorian club. That was especially hard given his lucrative contract which runs until the end of 2029, a deal peaking at $1.7 million a year and not falling below $1.2 million. A year later and things have changed, according to Nine’s Tom Morris, with Petracca now willing to join a contending club like Adelaide, Gold Coast or Sydney. “Christian Petracca had his eyes last year firmly fixed on big Victorian clubs - Carlton, Collingwood and the like. This year it’s different,” Morris said on Nine News. “Though Hawthorn was his preference before the Zach Merrett situation unfolded, he is open to non-Victorian clubs. I’m talking about Adelaide, Gold Coast and Sydney. “And Melbourne unlike last year is open to the right deal, even though they won’t declare that publicly. “Petracca doesn’t want to be seen as banging the table (for an exit) and the Demons at every opportunity have stopped short of guaranteeing their Norm Smith medallist will be at the club in 2026.” The Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph said Petracca wasn’t as desperate to leave as he was last year. “But he’s open to a fresh start. He’s open to a club that potentially could see him win another premiership,” Ralph said on Fox Footy’s On the Couch. “His teammates don’t believe he's checked out but they’re not sure he’s 100% invested. “It’s hard when you have that trade refused.” Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca will be a big watch during the trade period.Source: Getty Images King said on Monday both Petracca and Oliver were part of his plans, though he did not categorically say they would be kept to their contracts. “Absolutely, they are both superstars of the competition for what they’ve done,” King said. “To get the opportunity to work with those guys and get them back to playing their best footy is something I would provide myself on as a coach.” Former Demon Jordan Lewis questioned whether Petracca not being fully committed to the Demons could seep into the locker room. “You always wonder what happens in the locker room, especially after what happened last year,” Lewis said on On the Couch. “If a player shows a desire to leave, I think you try and entertain that deal if you possibly can. “Twelve months on, that conversation is still around. It must be that he must have a desire to be somewhere else. “You just wonder what that does internally to the players. Is he the same player he was 12 months ago? Not performance wise. “But around the locker room, is he still invested? Only the players and Christian would generally know that. “I think Steven King will have to make a decision relatively quickly.” Triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown floated Adelaide as a potential suitor given the Crows’ need for “gun midfielders.” And Ralph suggested the Demons should be open to a deal for two first-round picks to help them add to their young nucleus. “Melbourne hasn’t got a first-round pick this year ... they’ve got a nucleus of young kids, but they haven’t got an enough young A-graders, they need to get into this draft,” he said. “If Adelaide would give them their first-round pick this year and next year, I think it’s something Steven King would have to think about.” Lewis also posed whether the coaching change could help reinvigorate the 2021 Norm Smith medallist. “The one thing that would be in my mind if I’m Christian Petracca: ‘I wonder how different next year will be with a new coach? And whether that does invigorate me and whether that means we’re a finals contender?’ That could potentially flip his mindset around,” Lewis added. Meanwhile Oliver remains committed to the Dees and the new direction under King, as reported by SEN’s Sam Edmund. The three-time All-Australian is keen to be a key part of the new Melbourne coach’s side next season after pursuing a trade to Geelong this time last year. “He’s very happy at Melbourne, loves the club and wants to have a great season in 2026,” Oliver’s manager, Nick Gieschen, said in a statement to SEN. “He’s a Melbourne person.”

Well, that was a shock. The Demons 4-game unbeaten run came to a grinding halt in a tense, scrappy affair at the sunny, windy Alberton Oval, with the Power holding on for a 2-point win. The Dees had their chances—plenty of them—but couldn't convert when it mattered most. Port’s tackling pressure rattled the Dees, triggering a fumble frenzy and surprising lack of composure from seasoned players. Lauren Arnell certainly challenged Mick Stinear in the coach’s box, winning matchups and nullifying Melbourne’s run-and-carry game plan. A solid win from her for sure. The match It was a low scoring arm-wrestle from the outset. Port's pressure was relentless, and the Dees looked switched off—fumbles, missed targets, and a lack of connection up forward. Port’s Gemma Houghton and Indy Tahau (3 goals) causes headaches, while Ella Boag opened proceedings with the game's first goal. Demon sharpshooters Zanker, Gall and Bannan all missed gettable first quarter opportunities while Paxy, Hore and Bannan (again) kicked points before finally Captain Kate steadied the ship before half-time with a centre clearance which evolved into a brilliant running goal. The Dees dominated the possessions stats but were outplayed in tackles (Port 85, Melbourne 69) and clearances. Port ruck Matilda Scholz was excellent all day and forced Mick Stinear to move Tayla Harris into the ruck as both Lauren Pearce and milestoner GC were well beaten on the day. Port mids Ash Woodland (20 disposals, 420 metres gained) and Abby Dowrick (19 disposals, 13 tackles, 496 metres gained) set the tone while young gun Shineah Goody was, well, very good. Melbourne’s midfield struggled to break free with only Hore (27 disposals, 10 tackles, 7 clearances, 3 goals) and Tyla Hanks (27 disposals) getting any clean disposals. Defensive leader Maeve Chaplin (23 disposals, 635 metres gained) continued her fine season. Eliza McNamara, Paxy Paxman, Shelley Heath, Eden Zanker and Megan Fitzsimon got their hands on the footy but Port’s contested game kept the Dees on the back foot. Rising above the caterwauling was our number 10 who scored timely goals and almost single-handedly won us the match. Kate Hore. Clutch. Class. Captain. A solid fightback from a game-high 23 points but no team song was sung this week. Match moments Down 3 points with 1 minute to go, Fitzy had the chance in heavy traffic to snap a winner on her right foot from twenty metres out but missed. Maybe the left was the go? And with the clock ticking in the last quarter, we’ll never get back the lost precious seconds when Alberton locals sent a search party to find the footy. Milestones Plenty celebrated this week. Kate Hore now leads the all-time games played for the mighty Demons (83 games) and is the AFLW competition’s all-time leading goal scorer with 91 (adding 3 more goals this week). Hopefully, no nervous nineties. Tayla Harris played her 75th AFLW match, while Megan Fitzsimon played her 50th game and Georgia Campbell her 25th. Meggs’ musings One loss doesn’t define us—but it reminds us how hard this comp is. Goody was good but Katey was insanely good. She can’t do it all, others will need to step up. We looked top heavy in the windy conditions. The rehab bad juju might be breaking — Goldie and Gillard are nearly good to go, and selection pressure is about to get real. Coaches and Next Week Mick Stinear said, ‘we weren’t good enough and we left it too late’. A good crack in the last quarter but couldn’t find our rhythm. Composure and skill execution was down on the day. All credit to Port Adelaide. Lauren Arnell felt the pressure was the best her team has shown all season. A statement win. Bold in the contest and learned valuable lessons from being overrun last week against the Eagles. Next week: West Coast Eagles at Casey Fields, Saturday 1:05pm. Let’s switch back on, Dees. The Field of Dreams awaits. See you there! MELBOURNE 0.4.4 1.8.14 2.8.20 5.11.41 PORT ADELAIDE 1.3.9 3.5.23 5.7.37 6.7.43 GOALS MELBOURNE Hore 3 Harris Wotherspoon PORT ADELAIDE Tahau 3 Boag Gaunt Houghton BEST MELBOURNE Hore Hanks Chaplin Harris McNamara Fitzsimon PORT ADELAIDE Dowrick Tahau Woodland Scholz Goody Heads INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil PORT ADELAIDE Nil REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil PORT ADELAIDE Nil CROWD 2,736 at Alberton Oval

Newly-appointed Melbourne Football Club coach Steven King is determined to bring a new sense of freedom to the club. The 46-year-old former Geelong and St Kilda ruckman was unveiled in an official press conference on Monday morning after he was announced as the new Demons coach last week. King, one of Chris Scott’s current assistants at the Cats, has spent time as an assistant at the Saints, Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast where he was also interim senior coach after Stuart Dew’s exit. He says the time is now right to take up a senior gig with a proud club. “I’d just like to take this time to say what a wonderful privilege it is to be given this opportunity,” said King. “I’m extremely humbled and really, really grateful, but super excited to get started. “I feel privileged to sit here today. I understand what a privilege it is, but also a wonderful opportunity. Going through the process I became more and more sure that I was the right fit for the job. “I feel like I bring a skillset, and I've had a wonderful experience in some great organisations, with some terrific cultures and environments, and I'm sure my idea around how I want the game to be played, give our players some freedom to express themselves with ball in hand and to be really aggressive in every phase of the game. “It’s an honour to be here today. I'd also just like to thank my family that are sitting here with me. I wouldn't be here without you guys and, the support you guys have given me really means a lot. “Hopefully, you're as proud of me as I am with you guys, so thank you.” King insists he was purely himself during the selection process and that is what the Demons were attracted to. He wants to see his players play with freedom and really “get after the game” as he looks to inject some buzz into the club with a unique outlook and game style. “Speaking to some people, I probably had the chance to really reflect on my journey and get greater clarity about myself,” he said of the selection process. “I thought throughout the process I'm just going to be authentically me, and the more I was the more it became clear that that's what the Melbourne Footy Club needed as well. “Without sounding full of myself or anything like that, I just feel like I bring a unique experience and skillset that people want to be around. “I want my players to drive to work every day with a massive smile on their face knowing they're going to be stimulated, have a lot of fun, and could be challenged as well. “I honestly believe I want to play a brand of footy that's uniquely Melbourne, and I feel like I can adapt that to the skillset that our players have got. “I want to tap into their premiership experience that some of the players have already and create something that's really unique to us that gets after the competition.” King felt the full brunt of the Demons’ force when he was Bulldogs assistant in the 2021 Grand Final so he knows what his new club is truly capable of. “I really admire what this club's done in the past,” he said further. “I’ve been on the receiving end in that ’21 Grand Final as a midfield coach, so I know the force that's there. I know the physicality, the aggression that the players have. “I just want them to probably play a bit more freedom with ball in hand. I think we need to challenge teams in attack a little bit more. As you see now in today's footy, teams put scores on the board, so I want our players to have freedom to get after the game, attack it, give our forwards a bit more of a look, faster with even numbers, and get after the game. “So without going into too much detail, I feel really privileged, I walk into a club that has a terrific foundation, but the way they compete at the contest, their stoppage structure, and the way they defend - I just want to probably give players a bit more ownership to play with freedom, take what the game gives them and really get after it.”

Bit of a choice between projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea.

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.