AFL great lands role ahead of Nathan Buckley

Former Geelong captain and current assistant coach Steven King has been appointed senior coach of Melbourne.

King was one of five candidates interviewed for the job this week.

Two industry sources confirmed King’s appointment on a three-year deal.

Former Collingwood champion and coach Nathan Buckley was the favourite for the role and is now the frontrunner to be the inaugural coach of the Tasmania Devils.

King had a taste of senior coaching, having coached Gold Coast Suns on an interim basis, for seven games, after Stuart Dew was axed in 2023.

He replaces 2021 premiership coach Simon Goodwin, who was sacked with a year remaining on his contract last month.

King intends to coach out the season with the Cats, who are through to next weekend’s preliminary finals.

Melbourne confirmed the appointment on Friday afternoon.

“Steven brings an abundance of experience from across the league, having held coaching positions at St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs, the Gold Coast Suns and Geelong. I think it’s safe to say he was pretty impressive on the field too,” said Demons president Brad Green.

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“Steven has elite football IQ and a deep understanding of the game. He is highly competitive, places a strong focus on connection, and has a coaching philosophy we think our players will thrive under. During the appointment process, it became more and more clear that Steven was the ideal candidate for us.”

King played in Geelong’s drought-breaking 2007 flag before moving to St Kilda, where he played for three years including in the losing 2009 grand final.

He remained at Moorabbin as an assistant coach before continuing his apprenticeship at the Western Bulldogs, where he was part of the coaching panel that steered the Dogs to the fairytale 2016 premiership.

He moved to the Suns in 2023.

“I began my AFL career in 1996 and have experienced it all across the past 30 years. I’m excited to bring my experience to the club and see what we can achieve, together, from next season and beyond,” King said in a statement.

“I can’t wait to meet the playing group, my fellow coaches, the staff, and the Demon faithful, and start building towards 2026.”

More to come

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