MELBOURNE has appointed Geelong assistant Steven King as its new coach.
King takes over at the Demons following the sacking of premiership coach Simon Goodwin last month.
The Dees moved swiftly to make the appointment after the first round of serious interviews at the start of this week.
He edges out fellow assistants James Kelly, Daniel Giansiracusa and Brendon Lade, with Hayden Skipworth having pulled out earlier this week, while former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley was also in the process.
It comes after King came close to being appointed the West Coast senior coach last year before Andrew McQualter won the role.
"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."
King will continue to serve as the Cats' assistant coach for the rest of their finals campaign.
The former Geelong and St Kilda ruckman played 240 games at the top level, including 193 at the Cats, including their 2007 premiership.
He takes over as Melbourne looks to build on the youth it has brought through the club in recent years, with significant list decisions on the likes of Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver to come in the off-season.
It now opens the door for Tasmania to fully target Buckley as the Devils' inaugural coach, having dangled the keys to the senior role in recent weeks as his interest in the Melbourne job grew.
