It wasn't like they were finishing 9th like Richmond always did and kept teasing the fans.There's something in this. When I was a kid in Melbourne half my mates' parents went for Melbourne, they were Barassi's team that was always competitive. Three to four decades of being irrelevant simply hollowed out their fan base.
The dees were a complete laughing stock that tanked there way to the doldrums. With no light ever looking like reaching the end of the tunnel.
I couldn't blame people around my age mid to late 20s just giving up about the plight they found themselves in around 9-10 years ago.