Melbourne land on Geelong great Steven King to replace sacked coach Simon Goodwin

Former Geelong captain and current assistant Steven King has been appointed Melbourne’s new head coach.

7NEWS chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary revealed on Friday that the club had landed on King, ahead of hot favourite Nathan Buckley.

“King will remain with Geelong for the rest of their 2025 campaign where he is the club’s midfield coach,” Cleary said.

The appointment comes as a major shock, with most people thinking Buckley, the former coach of Collingwood, would be Simon Goodwin’s replacement.

Goodwin, a premiership coach, was sacked at the start of August.

King played 240 AFL games for the Cats and St Kilda, and won a premiership for Geelong in 2007.

The 46-year-old was one of the standout candidates for the vacant West Coast role last year, getting down to the final three alongside Collingwood assistant Hayden Skipworth and eventual appointment Andrew McQualter.

He has gone through an extensive apprenticeship since his career ended in 2010, having been an assistant coach at the Saints, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast and the Cats.

King served as interim coach at the Suns in 2023 when Stuart Dew was sacked, leading them to two wins from seven matches.

King said he was full of excitement to be joining the red and blue.

“Melbourne has a rich history, and I feel very humbled to be given this opportunity at one of the oldest professional sporting clubs in the world,” King said.

“I began my AFL career in 1996 and have experienced it all across the past 30 years. I’m excited to bring my experience to the club and see what we can achieve, together, from next season and beyond.

“I can’t wait to meet the playing group, my fellow coaches, the staff, and the Demon faithful, and start building towards 2026.”

Melbourne interim president Brad Green said they were incredibly excited to welcome King to the club.

“Steven brings an abundance of experience from across the league, having held coaching positions at St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs, the Gold Coast Suns and Geelong. I think it’s safe to say he was pretty impressive on the field too,” he said.

“Steven has elite football IQ and a deep understanding of the game. He is highly competitive, places a strong focus on connection, and has a coaching philosophy we think our players will thrive under. During the appointment process, it became more and more clear that Steven was the ideal candidate for us.

“As a football club, we’re delighted to be entering this next chapter with Steven at the helm. We have no doubt he is the right person to lead us forward.”

Geelong football manager Andrew Mackie said his was thrilled to see King get the opportunity to become a senior coach.

“Steven’s coaching career and development has been influenced by many across the industry, and we congratulate him on his appointment,” Mackie said.

“Steven has had a significant impact on the club in his playing and coaching roles. He is an excellent coach and our players have benefited from his experience and knowledge over the last two seasons.

“As an important part of our 2025 campaign, we are pleased Steven will remain in his role until the conclusion of our season.”

- With The West Australian