Demons on life-support...

I've outed myself a number of times as a traditionalist. As such, I would be saddened to see the demise of the Melbourne Football Club. Nevertheless, we must acknowledge that the Dees are on life support.

There must be some limit to the river of top-up funds that flow to the Demons.

The old argument that there are thousands of MCC members who support the Demons but don’t stump up their money for membership courtesy of their MCC access is starting to wear thin. Even in their relative heydays recently (was it the odd or even years under Neale Daniher where they were competitive?), they didn't exactly pack out the ’G. The MCC have now tipped another $2 million in, but must be wondering if they’re throwing good money after bad.

Likewise the AFL.

Considering the anecdotal connections to the big end of town, you'd have to say that the Demons’ management and Boards over the years haven’t exactly shone. The Demons’ captains of industry can’t ALL be off skiing or in the south of France.

This situation can't be adequately explained by lack of Premierships or on-field success over an extended period. The Geelong faithful didn't drop off. The feral Tiger army appears from the woodwork every time there are consecutive wins. The Saints supporters remain, sadly, both vocal and numerous. The Bulldogs’ fans have stayed the distance. Surely all that success in the late 1950s should have generated a significant following for the Demons — but where are they?

The spectre of the Gold Coast Demons or West Sydney Demons looms ever larger.