For all the gains Melbourne have made this AFL season, they can't afford to close with a loss.
Or 10 of them to be precise.
The Demons face Greater Western Sydney on Sunday at the MCG, seeking to snap a seven-game losing streak.
With games to follow against West Coast and North Melbourne, the ladder suggests this weekend is Melbourne's best chance of posting their fifth victory this year.
"Both sides haven't won for six or seven weeks, so it's a pretty important game," Demons on-baller Daniel Cross said of a potential win that would almost certainly ensure his club avoids the wooden spoon.
"Wins can be a real morale booster around the club. They're the reason you play football.
"The wins I've had this year have been really exciting. They've been against really quality opposition, so we know that we can do it.
"In terms of the last three weeks, I just want our team to keep progressing forward .. I think we can surprise a few teams."
The Demons knocked over Essendon, Richmond, Adelaide and Carlton earlier this year.
But a last-start 50-point loss to ladder-leading reigning premiers Hawthorn also offered some positives for Cross.
"We really grinded away and stuck out the game. In parts we matched it pretty well with probably the best team in the comp," he said.
Cross could find himself playing on good friend and former understudy at the Western Bulldogs, Callan Ward.
"It wouldn't surprise me if the coach gave me the nod to do that," Cross said of a potential negating role on GWS co-captain Ward.
Ward's greatest ever season has put the no-nonsense midfielder in contention for All-Australian honours, and Cross couldn't be happier.
"As a friend and a former teammate, I'm really proud of him," Cross said.
"He's an old-fashioned footballer. He doesn't do the flashy stuff, but he's a genuine star."
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