MELBOURNE has not made the finals since 2006, and despite a much-improved season, the club is again teetering on the edge of the top eight and is no certainty to see September action this year.
However, young star Christian Petracca has a message for Demons fans fearing the worst: "Stick with us and be confident."
The 10th-placed Demons face a season defining clash against the 11th-placed St Kilda at the MCG on Sunday, with the loser's finals charge hitting a significant hurdle.
"It's a great opportunity on Sunday. We've been disappointed with our performances over the last few weeks," Petracca said on Tuesday.
"But having two young sides going at it, it's awesome. No better place to be playing than at the MCG."
The Demons have lost their past two matches against North Melboune and Greater Western Sydney, putting themselves in a precarious position as four teams jostle for the final spot in the top eight.
The emerging 21-year-old is confident his side can emerge from its form slump, starting with Sunday's game against St Kilda.
Melbourne defeated St Kilda by 30 points when the sides met in round one, ending a 14-match losing streak in the process.
"We want to play the brand of footy that we know worked well in the first 15-16 rounds. Our brand of footy is some of the best in the competition and we know we can match it with anyone," Petracca said.
He said he would be as disappointed as anyone if the Demons did not make the finals, while Demons president Glen Bartlett said the club was on the right track.
"We want to play finals. We've got an opportunity in front of us. We've always said that it'll be a rocky road, not a straight line, and that there'd be challenges and adversity and we've experienced that," Bartlett said.
"I've been really proud of how the guys have responded and we've got three games on our home deck at the 'G to end our season, and we'll see what happens from there."
Petracca, who has an Italian background, was at the MCG with his father Tony to help launch "The Welcome Game", an event that promotes a message of welcoming everyone to Australian football.
Melbourne and the MCC have given away 20,000 tickets to the game to various schools and multicultural communities.
"I'm very excited. The beauty about football is that it's so multicultural and anyone can play no matter who you are and where you've come from," Petracca said.
"My Dad came here (to Australia) when he was three years old and my parents basically had nothing. To forge a career out of nothing is awesome. Sport is really inclusive and football has played a massive part in his life."
