New Melbourne coach Steven King says he wants to get Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver back to their best t

New Melbourne coach Steven King has vowed to get superstars Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver back “playing their best footy” as part of Demons outfit that will be “aggressive in every phase of the game” in 2026. King, 46, took a break from his role as Geelong’s assistant coach to declare his intentions for when he assumes the role at Melbourne at the end of the Cat’s premiership campaign revealing he’s already been in contract with players including the star duo who wanted out at the end of 2024. Meetings with Melbourne list managers were set for Monday afternoon to assess the club’s player stocks but King was adamant Petracca and Oliver, who both have long-term contracts were part of his plans and playing finals again was an “expectation” not a hope. “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.” King said he was “not interested” in the past and previous desires to leave “Those are things that are done, have happened,” he said. “I’m about moving forward.” King said he would make time to talk to as many players as possible before starting pre-season and spruiked the “unique” skillset he’d bring. He said going through the process only reaffirmed his desire to be a head coach after building an impressive resume as an assistant at three clubs. “Going through the process I became more and more sure that I was the right fit for the job,” he said. “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.” King won the job ahead of former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley, who when asked directly by new Demons chief executive Paul Guerra couldn’t confirm if he’d take the job if offered as his links to the new Tasmanian team continue to grow. Guerra said there was much to like about King, including his articulation of the game plan and modern style. “We love how he’s using technology to inform that as well,” he said. “We just love his ability to communicate. We think he’s the right choice for our team with where we’re at right now.” King, who was the last man standing in a process that began with 30 names, pushed his ideal for players to “get after the game”. “Speaking to some people, I probably had the chance to really reflect on my journey and get greater clarity about myself,” he said. “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 said Melbourne fans should expect to see some “faster” action in 2026. “I just want them to probably play with a bit more freedom with ball in hand.,” he said. “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.”