Former Geelong captain Steven King has been appointed Melbourne’s new coach despite strong speculation it was Nathan Buckley’s job to lose.

King’s appointment was revealed Friday afternoon, with the Demons set to make an official announcement imminently.

The decision to go with King came after Buckley reportedly told Melbourne he was waiting on more information about the Tasmanian coaching job and was unsure if he wanted the Demons head coaching job and was therefore unable to commit to the club.

The former Cats and St Kilda ruckman succeeds premiership coach Simon Goodwin who was sacked last month after a tough few years at the helm.

King was one of the standout candidates for the vacant West Coast role last year, getting down to the final three alongside Collingwood assistant Hayden

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