Feels like I’ve just wandered into the trashy end of what was once a pretty good party...
FWIW, I reckon there’s been some confusion around purpose (winning the flag) and nature (or ‘essence’).
It’s self-evident that the club exists to try to win to the premiership. We’re in a competition after all. But it doesn’t follow that this ambition is the “essence” of the MFC. Otherwise, how are we different to any other club? We may as well be Collingwood, or Carlton, or Freo. But I don’t accept that. We are Melbourne. We are the sum of our successes and failures, yes, but also the people who come together to work towards a common goal - and the way in which they set about achieving it. This includes our history, culture, community engagement and even (gulp) our cruddy facilities.
Which is not to say I want a flag any less, nor that I question whether this is or should be our central driving force.
As Einstein contended, this probably was just a “pissing contest” but a worthwhile one all the same.
NB. For the record, I didn’t vote. Was desperate to avoid being labelled a pedant, but couldn’t quite manage it…