MELBOURNE coach Steven King has praised Harrison Petty's attack on the ball and contest in his return to Melbourne's line-up.

Petty missed Melbourne's last two matches with a hamstring complaint, but has looked a dangerous forward in 2026.

08:44

RD 20 | Post-match Media Conference | Steven King

Watch Melbourne’s press conference after round 20’s match against Geelong

It has come together for Petty ahead of the ball this season, after previously struggling in the forward 50 last year when forward entries were harder to come by.

The 26-year-old has now kicked 14 majors from his last seven outings.

 "He was great. We missed him the last couple of weeks but he's been such a dynamic and what I'll say is consistent contributor but competitor," King said.

"I mean his ability to chase and harass air ground bring the ball to ground but also I thought he was outstanding tonight in a game where a lot of our forwards would have lost heart with the way we were using it.

"He just keeps competing so he was fantastic Petts."