Dynamic Demons ready to put King's plan to finals test

Harrison Petty is relishing Melbourne's free-flowing football under Steven King, adamant the brand can hold up under AFL finals heat.

The Demons have been thrust into a cut-throat wildcard clash with Carlton at the MCG on Saturday night, having thrown away the chance at a top-six finish.

And while the Blues are the competition's hottest team, Petty is confident the Dees can keep confounding the critics.

They've done it all year, defying external expectations to reach the finals in King's first season at the helm.

"I look back at pre-season and the way we were playing, I thought that if we got 'Demon football' up and running then anything could happen," Petty told AAP.

"It took me a couple of games to get the feeling, but you've just got to have the belief.

"(The game style) is obviously different to what we were used to (under previous coach Simon Goodwin) - open the ground up and try to play a more free-flowing game.

"As a forward this year it's been very good. There's a lot more space to get into and I've been able to get on the end of a couple, which has been nice."

Petty has kicked a career-best 25 goals this season, all of those in his past 11 appearances.

The versatile tall could be the No.1 target for Carlton's premier defender Jacob Weitering in wildcard round, with teammate Jacob van Rooyen unavailable through suspension.

"I've been pretty happy with my form the last couple of months, that's for sure.

"I feel like I've built into the player that I've wanted to be. There's still plenty ahead, that's for sure."

Van Rooyen leads Melbourne's goal-kicking this year with 42 majors, ahead of Bayley Fritsch (35), Kysaiah Pickett (28), Harry Sharp and Petty (both 25).

Tom McDonald played forward in last week's loss to the Western Bulldogs and kicked two goals, while experienced teammate Jake Melksham returns against Carlton to add further firepower.