For those of you who remember 1987 AFL season, Melbourne had not been in the finals for 23 years. Out of the first 9 games we won 4. We ended up 12 wins and 10 losses and squeezed into the top five as it was then, winning six out of the last seven games. We had a very young and inexperienced side (including 19 year old jim Stynes in his first year in the senior) under new coach John Northey who tried to drum in unprecedented disciplines into the side's play including at relentless running game,
We eventually won two finals against the Swans and North only to be knocked out of the preliminary final in the last kick of the day by Hawthorn after the inexperienced Stynes ran through the mark after the siren resulting in a 15 metre penalty and Buckanara slotted the goal from 50 metres out.
It is not impossible for us to do this again. I see a growing self belief, with improvement every week as we go through the season with increasing confidence in the coach and his game-plan, just like Northey then. I don't buy that just because we have only won 3 out of 9, that it is impossible to improve greatly on that post bye. Let's hope history will repeat itself.
Go Dees!