THE DEES will embrace the Friday night stage when they face Geelong in a blockbuster Round 20 clash at the MCG.

Melbourne will have an opportunity to strengthen its position against one of the competition’s leading sides, but coach Steven King says the focus remains on producing a consistent four-quarter performance.

Hear more from King’s Round 20 preview below.

EMBRACING THE BIG STAGE

“It’s certainly a privilege to play in a game that’s shaping finals and to do it on the big stage,” King said.

“We’ve been craving this for a while. I think we’ve been playing a brand of footy that stands out and that people want to watch.

“To get a primetime slot is great recognition for our playing group and what they’ve been doing throughout the year.

“We want to do the occasion proud by playing a brand of footy that even neutrals can watch and say, ‘That was an entertaining and really good game of football’.”

ON GEELONG

“I obviously spent the last couple of years working at that footy club, so I have great respect for and an understanding of the way they go about it,” King said.

“That gives you a bit more insight, but their personnel is a little different and the game continually evolves and changes.

“While I understand what they do, my focus is more on how we want to play and go about it.

“They play a brand of football that challenges you, and that’s what we’re trying to do as well. We’re evolving into something that can hopefully take our best game to Geelong this week and really set our year up.”

SEARCHING FOR FOUR QUARTERS

“I think our best is as good as any team in the competition,” King said.

“We’re still craving and searching for that consistency within games. We’re a young team and, with that, there are going to be some peaks and troughs.

“We probably went under the radar a little bit. We were described as flashy and entertaining, but there’s been some grit building underneath with our contest and the way we’re defending the ground.

“The different pieces of our game are starting to complement each other well, but we still have a long way to go to be where we want to be.

“To really challenge the top teams in the competition, we need to own the occasions like these on Friday night.”

ON THE INJURY FRONT

“We’ve got a few options available this week,” King said.

“Petty is available this week and he can slip down back for us. Tom McDonald and Lukas Cooke are there, and we’ve got Xavier Taylor as well.

"CJ is also a chance to play, if he gets through the session today, he will be available, but that’s a bit of a wait and see on how he responds out there."

“We’ll get through training and then sit down as a match committee to work out what looks best against Geelong’s forwards.

“Jack Viney will be training, which is a great step forward. We’ll see how he gets through the session, how he pulls up and how he recovers.

“Christian Salem played a full game in the VFL after playing a half the week before. We’ll work out whether he’s done enough after being out for such a long time, but it’s great to see him back and available.”

 ON TOM SPARROW

“I’m really confident (on him re-signing) because I know how Tom plays for us week in, week out and the heart-and-soul player that he is,” King said.

“He’s already a premiership player, but there’s also the opportunity for him to be part of a new era here, bridge two eras and challenge for another premiership.

“When I look at the way Tom is playing, I see someone who is all in and heavily invested.

“We’ll fight tooth and nail to keep him because he’s very important to us.

“He’s the prototype of the midfielder every coach wants… an uncompromising, unconditional two-way runner who is now playing on instinct and showing the football world what he can do with the ball in hand.”