Melbourne have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 season with rookie coach Steven King completing a remarkable turnaround.
The Demons spluttered to a 14th-place finish last season, recording just seven wins that resulted in the sacking of premiership coach Simon Goodwin.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: How the Demons found their spark
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King was appointed in the off-season and the club immediately reset, trading away premiership heroes Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver to usher in the new era.
Steven May was also told he was no longer in the Demons’ plans moving forward before retiring on the eve of the season.
Tipped to struggle this year, the Demons have already won four games, including the scalps of premiership fancies Brisbane and Gold Coast.
But perhaps most pleasing to fans is they have topped 100 points in all four of those wins, something they only achieved five times in all of last season and four times in 2024.
Melbourne are thriving under Steven King. Credit: Getty Channel 7’s Caroline Wilson said the club are in a much happier place following the split with Petracca, who developed the nickname, ‘The Consultant’.
Petracca, who is also thriving in a new environment, endured a messy exit from the Demons following his much-publicised recovery from a horrific injury in 2024.
“The point I want to make about Melbourne is just going to focus for a minute on Christian Petracca,” Wilson said on The Agenda Setters .
“Like, he wasn’t the only problem last year, but he was a bit of a misery guts around the footy club. He didn’t want to be there.
“The locker room nickname, I’m told, was ‘The Consultant’, because that was how he behaved at the footy club last year.
“He was professional. He turned up. He trained. But he didn’t give as much of himself as he had in the past.
“And obviously, what happened in 2024 was terrible, and the club was very much to blame. And Christian didn’t behave perfectly afterwards, but I have huge sympathy.
“What we have seen is clearly a couple that needed to break up because Melbourne is so much happier without Christian Petracca. Christian Petracca is now one of the Brownlow Medal favourites, and they adore him at the Gold Coast.
“He’s the happy player and the happy citizen he once was.”
But it’s not just the personnel change that has transformed Melbourne.
They have gone from a defensive team to an attacking juggernaut.
“Simon Goodman played boring footy. That’s what he did. He focused on contest and defence, and it got tiresome, and it wasn’t a fun brand of football to play,” The Agenda Setters host Kane Cornes said.
AFL great Dale Thomas highlighted Melbourne’s new attacking brand with a series of highlights from their win over Brisbane on Sunday (which you can see in the video player at the top of the page).
Melbourne’s remarkable improvement. Credit: Seven “There’s no doubt that the break-up has been good, and I’d wonder how Christian would be going and how much he’d be enjoying playing in this new-look Melbourne side,” he said.
“Have a look at their ball movement. So, last year, just remember, every time, every week, we spoke about how they’d win inside 50s but couldn’t kick a score.
“Everything in the top four there for all the key metrics if you want to be a good side. Steven King’s come in. He’s done an amazing job at turning it around, making sure the back line’s connected to the midfield.”
Thomas showed multiple instances of Dees players running forward at speed to create goal-scoring opportunities.
“This is another one off half-back here. Speed absolutely kills, but the connection is what the forwards are doing,” he said.
“Have a look at the lengthening of the ground down the bottom from the likes of (Bailey) Laurie, (Brody) Mihocek as well, and you look behind the goals.
“So, they are understanding, and they’re telling the player with their cues, keep running. We’re running back this way. We’re not coming at you. You’re under no pressure.
“That is why the Dees are flying.”
Cornes added: “Haven’t seen Melbourne move the footy like that or use it inside forward 50 for years.”