What if?

[Cassiew 1,872]

This has been my theme song for this

Quote

The touch

 

[Binmans PA 26,595]

It's worth noting that if Richmond win it this year, they're level on 12 flags with us. If Collingwood win it, they will equal Carlton's 16 flags. I'd rather Richmond win it, than Collingwood. Or ideally, we win our elusive 13th flag and pull one closer to Collingwood and two away from Richmond and equal Hawthorn's 13.

[Wollongong Demon 182]

Its like losing your virginity 

Most of us wont know what a flag will feel like until it happens.

Will it be 50 times the high after beating the cats?

Not sure I can take it.

[layzie 30,064]

5 hours ago, Cassiew said:

This has been my theme song for this

 

Couldn’t have put it better. Used to use this a lot to pump up for games.

[layzie 30,064]

I don’t know about all of you but it has officially just hit me. I thought I was doing pretty well with all this and taking it in the stride but it just got so massively real. Palpitations, a few shakes here and there. I had a dream last night that Collingwood beat us by 8 points in the Grand Final and it felt so real and tragic. I’d love to play them in a Grand Final but that would hurt beyond belief, I really don’t want to risk that situation. I wish I had the confidence and the no fear attitude that so many of you have but I’m really scared. Winning a final and going out in a semi is ok, you can live with that. But the jump from semi to prelim is huge and in the territory of there possibly not being a better shot at it. Then there’s the Grand Final if we make it. I thought we were going back there every year after 2000 until about 03 when it was evident the moment had passed. 

Im also so nervy about this special moment that I have no idea what to do. Should I just stay in Melb or break the bank and get over to Perth because if we win and I’m not there after going to every game in Melbourne this year it may hurt. I know it’s not about me, I guess all these years you dream of the big moment and want to do everything perfectly. I know life isn’t perfect though.

Appreciate if anyone else is feeling the same, it’s just going to be so tough to deal with. I didn’t want to make a new thread for it and I apologise if it’s too negative for some people I really do. Seems like MFCSS could take some time to subside.

[Wollongong Demon 182]

1 hour ago, A F said:

It's worth noting that if Richmond win it this year, they're level on 12 flags with us. If Collingwood win it, they will equal Carlton's 16 flags. I'd rather Richmond win it, than Collingwood. Or ideally, we win our elusive 13th flag and pull one closer to Collingwood and two away from Richmond and equal Hawthorn's 13.

For some reason the 52 year hiatus seems more ridiculous to me than ever of late.

Cant understand it. I used to think maybe we had a small supporter base but recent gamnes have shot that. Even if it was true tbe Tigers have heaps of supporters and had a long time bw drinks.

Dont believe it jinxs either.

I guess the Afl powers to be didnt help by bringing in more clubs especially with massive home adv.

I tell myself we are owed 4 flags before anyone else gets one.

[Binmans PA 26,595]

1 hour ago, Wollongong Demon said:

For some reason the 52 year hiatus seems more ridiculous to me than ever of late.

Cant understand it. I used to think maybe we had a small supporter base but recent gamnes have shot that. Even if it was true tbe Tigers have heaps of supporters and had a long time bw drinks.

Dont believe it jinxs either.

I guess the Afl powers to be didnt help by bringing in more clubs especially with massive home adv.

I tell myself we are owed 4 flags before anyone else gets one.

My old man says a lot of the Hawthorn supporters he knows were Melbourne when he was growing up (1950s and 60s).

This also explains why there are a lot of toffee Hawthorn supporters and a lot of Hawthorn MCC members (nowhere near as many as us, but a few).

As soon as Hawthorn supporters get a whiff that they will be up against it, they go missing. They have a great many of soft supporters. However, on one level I admire what they've been able to do since 1996 with their membership base, but on another level, given all their success in the 70s, 80s and 90s, they should never have been in that position by 1996.

Likewise, it's a lot easier to build a membership base as they have, given the sustained onfield success they've had. If they were to fall for a generation, I reckon you'd find we have far more rusted on supporters than they do.

And here goes my usual rant. In many ways, we're the most resilient supporter base in the league. Yes, we've got a few coming on board now, but we had 45,000 before the other 25-30,000 jumped on in the last month and a bit. We've endured at least 2 or 3 generations of lost supporters (1970s and early 1980s, as well as 2008-2015), yet through all this managed membership base in excess of 40,000. No other supporter base could claim this, except maybe Richmond, although even their successes weren't that long ago (1980).

It's a bit of a rambly point here, but if we have some sustained success and win some flags, we will start to re convert a lot of those lost supporters.

In many ways, I love the aspiration of getting Gary Pert in at this stage, because the platform for sustained success has been laid. He can now build on it like he did at Collingwood and all being well, we'll be out of the wilderness of AFL irrelevance and within a decade, could be in the same position Hawthorn find themselves in right now. 70,000+ members, multiple premierships and a powerhouse once again.

As Jake Niall's article in The Age suggests, we're better placed than anyone else in the league to achieve sustained success, and in a time when the sporting landscape is more competitive than ever. 

Edited September 16, 2018 by A F

[Binmans PA 26,595]

2 hours ago, layzie said:

I don’t know about all of you but it has officially just hit me. I thought I was doing pretty well with all this and taking it in the stride but it just got so massively real. Palpitations, a few shakes here and there. I had a dream last night that Collingwood beat us by 8 points in the Grand Final and it felt so real and tragic. I’d love to play them in a Grand Final but that would hurt beyond belief, I really don’t want to risk that situation. I wish I had the confidence and the no fear attitude that so many of you have but I’m really scared. Winning a final and going out in a semi is ok, you can live with that. But the jump from semi to prelim is huge and in the territory of there possibly not being a better shot at it. Then there’s the Grand Final if we make it. I thought we were going back there every year after 2000 until about 03 when it was evident the moment had passed. 

Im also so nervy about this special moment that I have no idea what to do. Should I just stay in Melb or break the bank and get over to Perth because if we win and I’m not there after going to every game in Melbourne this year it may hurt. I know it’s not about me, I guess all these years you dream of the big moment and want to do everything perfectly. I know life isn’t perfect though.

Appreciate if anyone else is feeling the same, it’s just going to be so tough to deal with. I didn’t want to make a new thread for it and I apologise if it’s too negative for some people I really do. Seems like MFCSS could take some time to subside.

You're becoming one of my favourite posters mate. Love your passion and vulnerability.

Totally get you on this too, although if it's any consolation, I had a dream after the last West Coast game that we would play Geelong in the Elimination Final and lose to Hawthorn the following week. Fortunately, only the first bit came to fruition. Let's hope only the first bit of your dream comes true and it's a Collingwood v Melbourne GF and we're the winners by 8 points. ?

[layzie 30,064]

1 hour ago, A F said:

You're becoming one of my favourite posters mate. Love your passion and vulnerability.

Totally get you on this too, although if it's any consolation, I had a dream after the last West Coast game that we would play Geelong in the Elimination Final and lose to Hawthorn the following week. Fortunately, only the first bit came to fruition. Let's hope only the first bit of your dream comes true and it's a Collingwood v Melbourne GF and we're the winners by 8 points. ?

Thanks mate that means a lot. I felt pretty silly and dumb writing that to be honest but I guess I just don’t know how to feel. Hopefully this is the start of something big and we’ll be back in this position many timers over the next few years but at the same time you gotta take your chances when they are there. 

It’s like a Wedding day I guess in that you always imagine that when it will happen it’s going to be perfect but find out it never really is. 

[Cassiew 1,872]

I look at the large supporter base Carlton has. What if their last premiership had been 1968. Would they have had their supporters fall like we did? 50+ yearscwithout a cup is a lot to ask any club. How many teams could take that? (Fitzroy clearly couldn’t.) If we’d win the same as them (8) sparsively (say 1969, 1975, 1981, 1988, 1994, 2000, 2010, 2016) would we be in a much better position? Decades of nothing (including 1965-1986 no finals) could crumble a lot of clubs. Maybe if we had won a few more, we’d be more secure, membership and  financial-wise. If the so called “big” clubs like Carlton and Essendon had gone through what we had, maybe they’d be the ones struggling for survival.

[jnrmac 19,412]

1 minute ago, Cassiew said:

I look at the large supporter base Carlton has. What if their last premiership had been 1968. Would they have had their supporters fall like we did? 50+ yearscwithout a cup is a lot to ask any club. How many teams could take that? (Fitzroy clearly couldn’t.) If we’d win the same as them (8) sparsively (say 1969, 1975, 1981, 1988, 1994, 2000, 2010, 2016) would we be in a much better position? Decades of nothing (including 1965-1986 no finals) could crumble a lot of clubs. Maybe if we had won a few more, we’d be more secure, membership and  financial-wise. If the so called “big” clubs like Carlton and Essendon had gone through what we had, maybe they’d be the ones struggling for survival.

Richmond won the flag so that explains their huge increase. West Coast and Geelong moved to new stadiums with increased capacity and GWS is off a low base (and its a complete BS figure as well. 25k members what a joke)

St Kilda is probably our best comparison and they were expected to challenge this year.... 

[Cassiew 1,872]

Poor Footscray. Won a cup 2 years ago and us, nothing since 1964, have more members. That’s scary.

[Big Col 1,138]

43 minutes ago, layzie said:

Thanks mate that means a lot. I felt pretty silly and dumb writing that to be honest but I guess I just don’t know how to feel. Hopefully this is the start of something big and we’ll be back in this position many timers over the next few years but at the same time you gotta take your chances when they are there. 

It’s like a Wedding day I guess in that you always imagine that when it will happen it’s going to be perfect but find out it never really is. 

Don’t feel silly and dumb! 

I was calm after Friday night and left my Demon friends celebrating. I’ve been holding off the tears since then. 

I went to 70% of Melbourne games with my mum from 1974 until our last game together in 2014 when the Hawks flogged us. 

“Don’t worry, Mum, we’ll get em soon...” l said. She died 6 weeks later. She would have been so happy on Friday night. 

There’s a lot of us suffering supporters with a whole heap of personal stuff invested in this club. I never got to see a premiership with my mum. It hurts. 

I’m bracing myself for heartbreak but FFS why not this year?

 

[Cassiew 1,872]

2 minutes ago, Big Col said:

Don’t feel silly and dumb! 

I was calm after Friday night and left my Demon friends celebrating. I’ve been holding off the tears since then. 

I went to 70% of Melbourne games with my mum from 1974 until our last game together in 2014 when the Hawks flogged us. 

“Don’t worry, Mum, we’ll get em soon...” l said. She died 6 weeks later. She would have been so happy on Friday night. 

There’s a lot of us suffering supporters with a whole heap of personal stuff invested in this club. I never got to see a premiership with my mum. It hurts. 

I’m bracing myself for heartbreak but FFS why not this year?

 

If my dad never sees us win a cup, I’d be devastated. I’d give up my ticket for him if we couldn’t go together.

Mum died in 1983, so we were going terrible at that time.

[picket fence 15,698]

Real Thing

Russell Morris

Come and see the real thing
Come and see the real thing
Come and see

Come and see the real thing
Come and see the real thing
Come and see

There's a meaning there
But the meaning there doesn't really mean a thing
Come and see the real thing
Come and see the real thing
Come and see

I am the real, thing
Oo-mow-ma-mow-mow, Oo-mow-ma-mow-mow
Oo-mow-ma-mow-mow, Oo-mow-ma-mow
Oo-mow-ma-mow-mow

Trying hard to understand that, really not, you're seeing me
Trying hard to understand that, really not, you're seeing me

There's a meaning there
But the meaning there doesn't really mean a thing
Come and see the real thing
Come and see the real thing
Come and see

I am the real, thing
Oo-mow-ma-mow-mow, Oo-mow-ma-mow-mow
Oo-mow-ma-mow-mow, Oo-mow-ma-mow
Oo-mow-ma-mow-mow, ma mow

I am…

[Jibroni 4,282]

Lazyie  I was feeling  exactly the same and your certainly not alone. The last 24 I have been planning a way to get from Adelaide (was trying to convince the wife to pack the bags and drive off on Tuesday) and then realised it would be $$$ and logistical too hard. Just have faith that the boys will get the job done and those that are Perth locals or able to go will cheer hard for the rest of us that can’t.

[Big Col 1,138]

My uncle (a Bluey winner and dual premiership player) now lives in Perth. His grandkids ( my cousins first removed?) had not seen a Mel win ever in their lives until 2017. They’ve now seen 2. 

It was only until recently that they could reverse the ribbing at school. I want a win on Saturday for every Demon kid who’s had to put up with this and to be able to wear their scarf to school with pride not shame. 

My 6yo doesn’t know about years of failure. May she never experience it.

 

[Cassiew 1,872]

All my nieces/nephews have a ‘football-day’ for the last day of the term (this Friday.) they get to wear their football colours instead of school uniforms. With Demons still in the finals, they can wear them with pride and not have anyone ribbing them. A complete opposite from a few years ago.

Kinda tempted to have the day off work to see them.

[Guest]

To be honest, I loathe talk of dynasties and becoming a 'big club'.

The reason why I hate the first kind of talk has been repeated ad nauseum on here but I'll say it again. We got told how we were an emerging power in 1998/2000, got ahead of ourselves and completely shat the bed the following years. When we finally put three decent seasons in a row together, they only were middling at best.

I've seen 2 GFs in my time and the overwhelming attitude for mine was 'Ho hum. We're the underdog with nothing to lose but even if we do, we'll be back.' I hate this idea that success will just 'happen'. It was the crate of horses"¥ that the red and blueprint was built on  and should be thoroughly rejected. We need to take our chances NOW!

Why I dislike the second part about being a 'big club' is that it can sound like an ego boost for those wishing for it (though this may not be the case and this might be overly harsh). It sounds like that they want validation for choosing what the masses think is great so some of that reflected popularity gets onto them.

I see the reasons why being a bigger club would help. Financial security and more clout in recruiting negotiations aren't bad things. But I chose Melbourne for reasons beside 'running with the pack'. If I wanted to be a part of a mass collective to boost my ego, I could have barracked for Collingwood like the rest of my family. I chose the hard road and am more resilient as a result.

Edited September 16, 2018 by Colin B. Flaubert

[deespicable me 1,439]

They don't give them away.

They're very hard to win. And gee.w.s. has had the rolls royce of lists and may never get there.