Steven King promised his team would be selfless, ruthless, connected. But there’s one word that defines his Demons

When Melbourne coach Steven King presented at a media briefing about the ambitions for his group in 2026, the coach’s optimism for the group’s immediate prospects was higher than most of the journalists in the room.

King emphasised a pre-season based on high-speed running and vowed that the team would play a quick, modern style of football.

He wanted the team to be selfless, ruthless and connected as they started their first year without either Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver, and as it turned out, Steven May, on the list for the first time since 2015.

The injured Jack Viney was unlikely to play much of a part in the season either.

The Demon dynasty anticipated in the afterglow of the 2021 premiership looked more like a failed state.

A rebuild on the run seemed the most likely path as no one doubted the young talent at King’s disposal.

The Demons’ recruiting team had not rested on the strategy Tim Lamb and Jason Taylor have employed to great effect for the past decade, with two first-round picks added to the list at the 2023, 2024 and 2025 national draft (they will have two first round picks again in 2026).

But those players – Caleb Windsor and Koltyn Tholstrup (picks seven and 13, 2023), Harvey Langford and Xavier Lindsay (picks six and 11 in 2024), and Xavier Taylor and Latrelle Pickett (picks 11 and 12 in 2025) – had just 95 games experience between them when the siren sounded to kickstart round one.

And Max Gawn, Jake Lever and Ed Langdon shaped as the most likely contributors among the dozen players on the list aged above 30, with Brody Mihocek and Jack Steele recruited to keep them company over cups of tea.

While King had impressed Melbourne’s coach selection panel, he remained a first-time coach, and no one was certain about how he would handle the hot seat. Now we know.

His coaching had an effect akin to running hot water over a tight jar lid, opening up a side of the Demons we had not seen.

Under King, the blue-collar battlers have become the daring Demons, with their exhilarating upset win over ladder leaders Fremantle in round 22 making them genuine premiership contenders.

Post-match, King’s words to his players have summed up his approach perfectly.

Internally, the same word keeps coming up. Three people we spoke to for this article who wished to remain anonymous to speak freely, were asked what is behind their unexpected rise, they all replied, “fun”.