I'll be surprised if we can't jag a couple more wins and avoid the spoon. Won't be too disappointed though, except on the days we lose. At least we have a decent recruitment team now and the drafts aren't compromised anymore, that and we've shown that we're on the way up. Apologies to any potential supporters who don't sign up thanks to my ambivalence.

I'm interested to see where Richmond finish up. With their current run of good form they have every chance to finish 9th again. Will be hilarious.

  On 26/07/2014 at 12:27, rjay said:

You've sold me 'Macca', I was starting to feel a bit ambivalent again.

It's always important to have a bit of an eye on the big picture, 'rjay'

Whilst a spoon wouldn't be as disastrous as in previous years (mainly because we're in good hands with Roos & PJ at the helm) nonetheless, it would still hamper us.

I'm mainly looking at the angle of us being an attractive destination for prospective talent. The Frawley going or not going tosses up at least 2 scenarios - if he stays, we might then go after a free agent or 2 ... and if he goes, we might use the compo pick we get for him on a talented player or 2 from the other clubs. We need to be a club that players want to come to.

And we almost certainly won't be getting a PP regardless of how we finish the season - people need to let that one go. If we couldn't get one last season, no club should ever get one. PJ should still apply for one ... just in case

  On 26/07/2014 at 10:00, old dee said:

The "if" is more likely to be when Pâtés.

But what is the difference between last and third last.

Not a lot in my view

Really hate this attitude

The difference is pride

The difference is the new culture we are trying to instil into our players to not accept defeat and trying to win every game we play leaving nothing out there

May not matter to you but it matters a lot to me to not finish bottom

In short I'll be well pi55ed if we finish last and don't win at least 2 more games

  On 26/07/2014 at 11:50, Macca said:

Does anyone honestly think that any of the Pies, Blues, Dons or Tigers fans would be happy about "winning" the wooden spoon?

The "spoon" might give Frawley a good enough reason to take off and what about the effects on membership, sponsorship, reserved seating sales, foundation heroes, the corporate dollar, Auskick numbers, prime time TV slots, our fixture in general and the effects on the supporter group? No thanks.

Also, we need to attract some A grade talent to the club by way of trades and/or free agency. We'd have trouble getting a 2nd glance from a prospective star with another spoon attached to our name ... and do we really want to burden another kid with the no.1 draft pick next to his name?

We've come so far in terms of restoring pride and respectability - we need to finish the season off well. We just got to within a few points of a top 4 side away from home just last week - just imagine how we'd be all feeling if we'd got over the line?

A lot of us here are rusted on. We won't be adversely effected one way or the other. However, we need new members and we need a number of our lapsed members to return. Forget 40,000 members - we need to have a aim of 50,000+ members. Another spoon would impede our progress.

Good post and sums it up really

Ill be shattered if we win the spoon

  On 26/07/2014 at 10:24, rpfc said:

It's about points, wins, and ladder position when you have a good team trying to reach finals.

When you are jockeying for 16th...

WGAF.

We got back on the horse last week with some good footy, I am not about to cry into my beer because the Lions and the Saints have had a couple good wins.

The Lions will be a good game with them in some good form and we should beat GWS at the G, but I am more interested in how we go against Hawthorn, WCE over there, and bloody NM in the last round.

agreed, as long as we beat the Giants @ the 'G'

Must win a game or 2 more this year.

Not on accepting being bottom - again. Fed up with being the laughing stock. Cannot bank on the future - thought we had a gun in Jurrah, then the same with Clark - who knows how Hogan will come up or what else may go wrong - every win is gold.

And vital for Membership numbers.

MFC have a higher percentage of ageing members than most Clubs i.e. not so many young members for the future - my grandson who is a Junior Demon is wavering in his support "because we never win" - last week he was barracking for Pt Adel because he had picked them in our little fun tippiing comp - I wanted the Dees to win so I could put my arm around him and say isn't it great, the Demons winning is much more fun than our silly tips - but I didn't get that chance - with every loss there is the danger of young Demon supporters giving up and being lost forever - we need all young supporters to have a reason to stick - they are the future membership.

Anyway surely we are all sick of losing (and tonights game showed how far the Dees are from the Hawks/Swans standard) - so any win that MFC can get is vital.

Don't agree with No 17 - but you must know something - because Brett Lovett was a highly underrated champ who I loved to see in the red and blue.

another spoon will be the third in 8 years

14th 16th 16th 12th 13th 16th 17th ??

whatever happens it's the bottom 5 for 8 consecutive seasons

holy sheet that is depressing

Spot on Curry and Beer - very few wins and so many losses - the first 64 years were great - 12 flags - 6 G F wins against the Pies - 4 agst the Bombers - and nothing to show for the last 50 years (some joy under Northey and a bit under Daniher - that is all) - yep searching for an even better word than depressing but that will do for tonight.

And I have lost count of the number of spoons in the last 50 years - probably more than 12 (the number of flags).

And I don't recall being satisfied with any of them.

And it is beyond belief that "I don't care" has got the most votes.

The ladder has been the most even in years, if it was like previous years and a first year GC or GWS were to top us then I'll be shattered, if we finish last, below Brisbane who have won some good games and really aren't a bad football team for where they are at regards to their rebuilding process, etc, and below Saints who have won rightly so against Essendon, GWS, us and the biggest win for them of the year against Freo, then I won't be overly shattered.

All three teams have shown promise, and Lions/Saints are far off from being as bad as we were. Glad to say we're on the right track finally, finishing last won't do us much harm.

I am tired of this club sitting amongst Garbage.

So long it has been & so many draft picks that have failed.

We simply have to focus on winning

  On 26/07/2014 at 12:56, dee-luded said:

agreed, as long as we beat the Giants @ the 'G'

If we beat the Giants you can say goodbye to Petracca, probably the player we need most from the draft. It is believed he is the player GWS want above all others.

Interesting to note the number of players like Cameron who have been put to bed by GWS for the rest of the season.

Get my drift. It's called list management.

I think we would also love Petracca. The Saints would probably go key forward like McCartin. So would the Lions.

Pisses me off big time, to think that it can and probably will happen.

But then I sit down and think what has caused us to be here.

Our on field leadership stinks.

Last weeks loss proved that beyond all doubt.

All the leadership group stunk it up big time in the last 5 min.

We deserve to be where we are until we get some real leaders.

  On 26/07/2014 at 12:50, Pennant St Dee said:

Really hate this attitude

The difference is pride

The difference is the new culture we are trying to instil into our players to not accept defeat and trying to win every game we play leaving nothing out there

May not matter to you but it matters a lot to me to not finish bottom

In short I'll be well pi55ed if we finish last and don't win at least 2 more games

Are you prepared PSD?

We have a very ordinary list that at best is the third or fourth worst team in the competition.

The difference this year between last and fourth last will probably be percentage.

We have risen to competitive from VFL standard in 2014.

That is about all we could have hoped for in 2014.

Hopefully with a couple back from injury and a few new additions we can win eight games and this conversation will not happen in 2015.

However it is 2014 and our lot is the last few spots.

  On 26/07/2014 at 14:45, hogans_heroes said:

pathetic isnt it

Not sure why you are surprised hh

Eight years of averaging a few wins and getting belted every other week does not generate high hopes.

Those searching for the difference between 18th and 16th are confusing the position of those that 'don't care.'

We are terrible. We are finishing low again. The very discussion that there is some salvation in not being the worst team, but the 2nd or 3rd worse team, is just utterly pointless.

Lapsed members are numb to this, they want to see wins and excitement, they are not going to be beaten down further by teams climbing over us in the next few weeks - they are not watching anymore.

The season ended a few weeks back for those that will make up the extra 5k we need to head into 40k member territory.

Finish the season strongly for the sake of those left behind (us) but don't think that finishing 3rd last is some grand achievement that will keep members, players, renew hope, and set us up for next year.

That will all happen, again, in October and November.

When you say "I dont care", i do actually care about finishing on the bottom. However, i have seen enough from our team to know that finishing on the bottom is not a disaster and we have made some drastic changes and improvement.

I am happy with the direction of the club.

I voted 1/10

Is the footy still going ??

Would be a little ironic if the $1.5 million dollar man guided us into last place.

Not even Neeld achieved that.

If the saints knock off GC and we lose to Lions you can just about lock it in.

  On 27/07/2014 at 00:01, rpfc said:

Finish the season strongly for the sake of those left behind (us) but don't think that finishing 3rd last is some grand achievement that will keep members, players, renew hope, and set us up for next year.

I don't think that any of us view that a 3rd bottom finish as any kind of achievement.

It is trite, it is cliche and I will use it. It does need to be a line in the sand kind of thing for the group. They need to show us that they are sick of being the dregs of the comp. To finish last again would just reinforce to members (and the players themselves) in the worst way possible that we are.

Those of us who have followed this season closely would realize we have improved. I have enjoyed going to most games this year as I have been able to stay beyond 3 quarter time! However, it would be heartbreaking for all that effort to be put in towards being competitive only to find out that, yes, we are the worst club in the competition.

we would be the most unlucky team to finish bottom in a while, could easily have another 5-6 wins and be in contention for finals, no 100 point losses, fairly competitive in most games

  On 27/07/2014 at 00:07, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Would be a little ironic if the $1.5 million dollar man guided us into last place.

Not even Neeld achieved that.

If the saints knock off GC and we lose to Lions you can just about lock it in.

I too thought this laughably ironic...A great step forward.....an advance to the rear perhaps.

Im sure there are many improvements to the team , the plan etc etc. But a very notable point of measurement in any competitive league is where you finish. Last .......hardly anything to hang a hat on, no matter how expensive the milliner !!

EOS and '15 cant come quick enough........sounds terribly familiar that...

  On 26/07/2014 at 22:24, old dee said:

Are you prepared PSD?

We have a very ordinary list that at best is the third or fourth worst team in the competition.

The difference this year between last and fourth last will probably be percentage.

We have risen to competitive from VFL standard in 2014.

That is about all we could have hoped for in 2014.

Hopefully with a couple back from injury and a few new additions we can win eight games and this conversation will not happen in 2015.

However it is 2014 and our lot is the last few spots.

Yes Old I'm prepared but will be absolutely [censored], we have improved greatly and to finish last would be a kick in the teeth for the players. Coulda woulda shoulda great saying but there were games we certainly should have taken another 4 points in on several occasions. Interesting point about us being in the bottom 3/4 lists in the competition.

For me there is the top 8 sides, Adelaide and a developing Suns.

Of the next bunch the Doggies are certainly coming but after that there is very little difference in the lists.

In the next lot Meth Coast, Richmond, Carlton, GWS, Brisbane, Saints and ourselves have strengths and weaknesses but overall there is not a great deal of difference. Some teams will improve quicker than others and I see no reason with the improvements under the new FD why we can't continue on the upward trend (once we don't stay asleep at the wheel)

I hear all the talk about Petracca being the player we have to get, another messiah. Sorry but to me finishing last is not acceptable and will harm us in membership, player attraction and current player mindset.

So I'll still be livid