With just three rounds remaining in the 2026 AFL season, Melbourne Football Club finds itself on the cusp of a top-four finish, with only percentage points separating it from a coveted higher ladder position. For first-year senior coach Steven King, the hunger among his players to lock in a finals spot — the club’s first finals appearance in three years — has become impossible to miss at team training sessions.
King has thrown his full support behind the Demons’ playing group, highlighting their extraordinary mental toughness through the campaign so far. “This group has been remarkably resilient in the way we’ve run out games,” King told reporters early Thursday. The excitement of a possible deep September finals run is palpable among the squad, with the coach adding that the players’ eagerness to compete is practically “jumping out of players’ skin” at every training drill.
Currently sitting sixth on the AFL ladder, Melbourne will face a massive test this Saturday when they host ladder-topping Fremantle Dockers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The upcoming fixture has been framed by many as a compelling clash of two contrasting streaks: Melbourne’s dominant 2026 record on their home turf, and Fremantle’s well-documented reputation for second-half comeback wins, dubbed the Dockers’ “wharfie time”.
The Demons have turned the MCG into a fortress this season, notching nine wins from just 11 outings on the ground. King is calling on the club’s passionate supporter base to turn out in force to roar the side over the line. “At the MCG on a Saturday afternoon we’d just love every Melbourne supporter to get there,” he said. “It’s a great dress rehearsal for both teams.”
Fremantle heads into the round with an 18-2 win-loss record, and seven of those 18 victories have seen the Dockers trail at halftime before rallying to secure the result. When asked about Fremantle’s proven ability to fight back in the second half, King expressed full confidence in his side’s capacity to finish matches strongly, pointing to the squad’s high fitness base as a key strength.
“We know we’re fit enough to run out games,” King said. “It’ll be more on our execution, how we play and function as a team under their real pressure because they’re playing a really strong brand of football and it’s going to test us in all phases.”