Ahead of a pivotal Friday night showdown against perennial contender Geelong at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, first-year AFL senior coach Steven King has opened up about the unorthodox philosophy that has turned the Melbourne Demons around from a disappointing 14th-place finish in 2023 to a top-six contender with five weeks remaining in the 2024 season.
King’s winning formula upends the modern trend of hyper-structured, data-heavy coaching: he prioritizes innate player talent and instinct over rigid game plans and information overload, a choice that has unlocked an exciting brand of football that draws fans to stadiums.
“The last thing I want to do is paralyse our group with too much structure, too much information, and I feel like that will stifle the magic we’ve created within,” King told reporters, repeating a core belief that has guided his first season at the helm.
The 2024 AFL season has seen a clear shift toward faster, higher-scoring football, and King has adapted his approach to match this new era. He notes that top teams across the competition now capitalize on momentum to put up big scores quickly, a trend he has built the Demons’ game plan around.
“All players get drafted because they’ve got talent and they can play – you still have to respect the contest and defence side of the game, that’s a must,” King explained. “But players love to show, express themselves with ball in hand, play the game – that’s why they’re all here because they can play.”
King argues that a passive, pressure-absorbing style of play is no longer competitive in today’s game, where momentum swings can decide outcomes in minutes. “If you can’t put a hundred points on the board now and fight with the big boys, you’re sort of down a weight class or two,” he said. While hitting that score mark is not an official team key performance indicator, King says he wants the Demons to be dangerous in all phases of play, particularly when they have possession.
A former Geelong captain himself, King admits he is still learning the craft of senior coaching, and counts the “delicate art” of stepping back as one of the most important lessons he has picked up in his debut season. Early on, he says he recognized his own tendency to overcomplicate game plans by adding extra layers to try and push the team into the top four.
“But I feel like everything you add as a coach, there’s a risk that you take something off the group as well,” he noted. King relies on a mix of his experienced assistant coaching staff and veteran Demons leaders, including captain Max Gawn, who is fully aligned with King’s open game plan, to strike the right balance between structure and freedom. “We sort of lean on each other on how much info the group needs,” he said.
This approach has already delivered results: after finishing 14th last season, the Demons currently sit sixth on the ladder, well positioned to qualify for the post-season. King has made it clear from the start that he wants his side to play an exciting, “bums-on-seats” brand of football that appeals even to neutral fans, and he says the team is eager to showcase that style in the high-profile Friday night MCG clash against his old club.
“We’ve been craving it and playing a brand of footy that stacks up and people will want to watch,” King said. “To get this prime-time slot is a great recognition for our playing group, for what they’ve been doing throughout the year. We want to make sure we do the occasion proud by playing a brand of footy that even neutrals go, ‘That was entertaining and a good game of footy’.”