if you were too soft to put on your scarf and beanie and get down there, you got what you deserved: which was to miss one of the best wins I can remember

next time harden up

Hey, I was crook as a dog and bedridden, nothing made me grin more but I wish I could have gone!

If ever there was a game where Dee supporters needed to show up, that was it. Under 20,000 was embarrassing and we wonder why Melbourne supporters are the butt of everyone's jokes. All those people who spat the dummy and stayed home should be ashamed.

Here! Here! The crowd was disgusting. Our biggest problem is our supporters. Too many lame excuses .. year in year out.

Adelaide normally have a large travelling supporter group - add in the fact this was their only MCG game for the year.

Mother's Day would have stopped many of them from coming.

Mother's Day, rain and an interstate side was always going to mean a small crowd. IMO 20,000 wasn't that bad.

Here! Here! The crowd was disgusting. Our biggest problem is our supporters. Too many lame excuses .. year in year out.

Having lunch with the woman who gave me my life?

Get off the grass seriously some people are so full of it.

"Hey, I was crook as a dog and bedridden, nothing made me grin more but I wish I could have gone!"

Possibilty of forgiveness Striker but only if you were unable to walk.

I wish a few others would reorganise schedules and get behind the club and the players. Mothers day has a morning and an evening and covers 24 hours, or it used too.

Call to arms begins at games. Those who turned up, well done, those who didn't and can think of many petty excuses should hang their heads in shame

Here! Here! Some Melbourne supporters just dont get it. They just dont understand how the AFL thinks.

Wonder what the excuse will be next week ... "oh the games at Ethiad?"

I don't think it's unreasonable for people to put family ahead of the football. I went, but my mum doesn't really care about Mother's Day.

The points made by Rogue (I think) above about how our supporters have supported our club through the dark points of the last few years are very salient.

Agree Mum's come first but to those who say attendance was poor there was very few Crows supporters there.

I came down from Sydney and took my (very old) mum to the game which she enjoyed. A long time Saints supporter she was saying at the end "our boys" did very well and every time she has been to a game with me the Dees have won.

I see a few more long road trips....

I don't think it's unreasonable for people to put family ahead of the football.

I also agree and nor should we have too. However, its our own doing. Until Melbourne supports start voting with their feet and not with their keyboards the AFL will do nothing about it.

Our destiny is in our own hands. Its called a fixture for a reason.

Regardless of percentages of members/non-members attending etc....

As i said, i don't think you'll see any significant improvement in these types of games (specially on Mothers day matches) until the success arrives and/or membership breaks 40,000 / 50,000 marks.

No coincidence that there was a Monday night match scheduled for Saints/Blues. Wanted to avoid too many teams playing on Mother's day with numbers likely to be down versus normal schedule

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/attendances

We have the lowest attendance for a Victorian team

As mentioned by other posters, all of our home games have been against interstae clubs. Then we've had Gold Coast at the GABBA with less then 15K I believe. West Coast @ Subi on a Thursday Night which may have affected the crowd slightly, and Hawthorn on one of those shocking Sunday Twilight time slots which always affects a crowd by about 10K no matter who's playing.

Needless to say we haven't had much of an opportunity to have a big crowd as yet. Will be interesting to see how many we get at our friday night game against Carlton???

Quite simple really.

Those who could have gone (had no prior engagements), but chose not to must question their loyalty to the club. Even under the most trying of circumstances.

Great post!!!

With that logic let’s see if we can get 17000 members next year. Clearly my loyalties are wrong and I must reconsider. Why did me and the wife bother purchasing a membership paying for a game that we did not attend.

Your logic makes much more sense. If we have 17,000 members and 19,000 turn up then we have over achieved!

We get screwed with scheduling and therefore we get compensation from the AFL for this. It’s a fact of life that mothers day is more important than football to a lot of people. I had a breakfast a lunch and a dinner to attend. I didn’t even bother watching the game on TV.

Don’t worry, I now no longer consider myself a supporter and won’t be attending any more games.

We get screwed with scheduling and therefore we get compensation from the AFL for this.

You miss the whole point. We "screw" ourselves as a supporter base the AFL are merely the scapegoat for the politicians amongst us ... oh yes & the weather ... & we are playing an interstate side, or .... we are not playing well ... or its not at the MCG ... or we are up against the Grand prix ... or what ever you want to use.

There are no free rides in AFL football these days. You have to earn your stripes as a supporter base.

When we "earn our stripes" as a supporter base we wont have to worry about the dilemma of mothers day ... the AFL will fix that for us.

If our three home games hadnt have been against Brisbane Sydney and Adelaide it'd be different. This isn't a money making draw this is a winning games draw.

Absolutely. The Club has said this from the start.

The points made by Rogue (I think) above about how our supporters have supported our club through the dark points of the last few years are very salient.

Thanks. I can't understand why more supporters can't grasp this idea.

If you want to argue that Melbourne fans are somehow qualitatively different to other fans - and I'm not making that case here - a look at the evidence suggests that, if anythign, we're more supportive, passionate, etc.

Call to arms begins at games. Those who turned up, well done, those who didn't and can think of many petty excuses should hang their heads in shame

With all due respect, I think you need to get a grip when it comes to ridiculous assertions like this. Hang their heads in shame? We should be embracing all Dees fans.

I find it difficult to see how some on Demonland can't understand that others place a different value and/or priority on AFL and attending games. If you're only getting to a couple of games a year why wouldn't you pick and choose the match based on how much you think you'll enjoy it?

In particular, we should be embracing those who buy a membership despite not attending games regularly. For me, the membership simply makes financial sense because of the discount I end up getting on attendance, and I'd do it even it was just a 'season pass' with no benefit to the Club. However, those who buy a membership despite not getting to many games are essentially making a donation to the Club. Shame indeeed.

You miss the whole point. We "screw" ourselves as a supporter base the AFL are merely the scapegoat for the politicians amongst us ... oh yes & the weather ... & we are playing an interstate side, or .... we are not playing well ... or its not at the MCG ... or we are up against the Grand prix ... or what ever you want to use.

We? All Clubs have the same issues.

As I've said, if anything Melbourne supporters perform better than others on most indicators I've seen.

Another thing people don't seem to consider is the simple fact that the Melbourne Football Club has a smaller supporter base than any other team in the competition (bar the Gold Coast no doubt).

The club is doing what it can to change that, but really, we aren't going to get the crowds of a Collingwood/Essendon/Carlton or even Richmond because we just don't have as many supporters.

Hey, I was crook as a dog and bedridden, nothing made me grin more but I wish I could have gone!

Weak.

There were absolutely no Adelaide supporters there. Maybe 500. They normally come in droves, but they were no where. There were a few on the wing in the Southern Stand, but their cheer squad was essentially non-existent. You could normally count on 1-3k Adelaide supporters.

Weak.

I'm going to assume that's sarcasm.

Can't go til Round 10 now, working both Saturdays.

There were absolutely no Adelaide supporters there. Maybe 500. They normally come in droves, but they were no where. There were a few on the wing in the Southern Stand, but their cheer squad was essentially non-existent. You could normally count on 1-3k Adelaide supporters.

Still too many of them for my liking!!!

Look I went and took my 90 year old Mum as well as my wife, but, I can't make every game, its life, things happen and you can't make it sometimes.I wish people would stop beating us around the head when we don't rock up every game.

Look I went and took my 90 year old Mum as well as my wife, but, I can't make every game, its life, things happen and you can't make it sometimes.I wish people would stop beating us around the head when we don't rock up every game.

If our three home games hadnt have been against Brisbane Sydney and Adelaide it'd be different. This isn't a money making draw this is a winning games draw.

I think this was the position of our club as well when the draw was released. Tough financially at the start, but excellent draw for the footy department.

The other thing that impacted crowds in our first 3 games was the opening game against Sydney was held on the same day as the Formula 1 Grand Prix, which would have also had an adverse impact on crowds.

Next home game is against Carlton on Friday Night Football followed by Collingwood on Queen's Birthday. Two big games against Victorian clubs with potential big crowds.

Was great to be there on Sunday, but come rain, hail or shine, will be there supporting the Dees.

If ever there was a game where Dee supporters needed to show up, that was it. Under 20,000 was embarrassing and we wonder why Melbourne supporters are the butt of everyone's jokes. All those people who spat the dummy and stayed home should be ashamed.

I was there - that's all that matters!

I'm going to assume that's sarcasm.

Can't go til Round 10 now, working both Saturdays.

Never assume. B)