If eleventh-placed Melbourne is looking for inspiration to conjure what would seem an improbable finals berth, it need look no further than its 1987 counterpart.

Just a week ago, the Demons appeared out of finals contention but a stunning win over the Swans on Sunday has suddenly changed that.

The '87 version, coached by John Northey and captained by Robbie Flower, also appeared out of finals contention after losing three straight to Fitzroy, North Melbourne and St Kilda heading into the run home to September.

But buoyed by a 40-point win over Geelong at Waverley Park in Round 17, the Demons would win six straight, including a now famous victory against the Bulldogs at the then Western Oval in Round 22, to claim fifth spot (for all Footy Show followers, that was the game when Garry Lyon broke his leg) in what was then the final five.

Of course, the run didn't end there, with wins over North Melbourne and Sydney in the opening fortnight of the finals, before Jim Stynes infamously ran across the mark and conceded a 15m penalty in the dying stages of the preliminary final, helping Gary Buckenara drill the match-winning goal that would send the Hawks into the grand final.

Graeme Yeats, now the coach of TAC Cup side Dandenong, but a hard-running and tough midfielder-half-back in that '87 side, says Bailey's men have the potential to replicate those miraculous deeds of 23 years ago.

The Demons, with just the six victories, would almost certainly need to win their remaining five matches, against Brisbane (Gabba), Richmond (MCG), Hawthorn (MCG), Port Adelaide (AAMI) and North Melbourne (MCG), as well as relying on other results to fall their way, to reach the post-season for the first time since 2006.

"I remember we were a fairly young group and just had a real thirst and passion for footy. We just all clicked as a group. We were a spirited bunch and I thought we were reasonably tough and hard as a group," Yeats said.

"There was a pivotal game where a fight started at the start of the game, it might have been Victoria Park (against Collingwood in Round 20), it was a volatile sort of environment there, it gathered momentum and we won the game.

"I think the following week something else might have transpired. I think we started something where we thought let's just get a bit physical and mix it up and see how we go.

"You just get on a bit of a roll. I guess if you work hard enough and believe in what you are doing and you have got the trust of each other - they (Bailey's team) obviously have a good coach and a good coaching group.

"They are in really good shape you would think to be able to achieve something like that based on what they produced on the weekend but it's easy to do it in a two-hour period, but it's much harder to back it up six weeks in a row. That's going to be the test."

The Demons have a terrible record on the road in recent times, although that could have ended had they kicked straight against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval in Round 16.

In their favour this week is that they are facing the rabble that is Brisbane, while skipper James McDonald, Brent Moloney, Jack Grimes and Jack Trengove could all return from injury soon.

"It's all about a mindset and a competitive approach, which they are trying to instil in their group,"  said Yeats, who coached stand-out Demons rookie Tom Scully during his TAC Cup years.

"If you can put it all together on a consistent basis, you are a chance to beat anybody. They have obviously got the underlying talent and speed across the ground which is a massive advantage in modern-day footy."

That mindset hasn't been lost on hardnut midfielder Nathan Jones, who had a key role in helping the Demons to victory over the Swans.

"So as long as we come out with the right attitude, the right mindset, the right pressure and starting the game well, I am pretty sure we can be competitive against anyone in the comp," he said.

When it came to Round 22, 1987, there arguably has not been a more competitive round than this.

All spots in the top five had yet to be rubber-stamped. Trailing by a goal at three quarter-time, the Demons booted 4.4 to edge a game ahead of the Bulldogs, Geelong and West Coast.

Had Geelong defeated Hawthorn on that same afternoon, the Cats would have made the finals but the visitors stole victory by three points at Kardinia Park.

Even top spot wasn't settled until Carlton captain Stephen Kernahan kicked accurately after the final siren against North Melbourne, edging the Blues a game clear of the Hawks.

"Not that my memory has a whole lot in it but it's one of the most amazing days of my life," said Yeats, who played 182 games for the Demons between 1984-95.

"It was a bit surreal. I remember running out on the ground, it felt like there were 50,000 sitting on top of you. There were people sitting on the roof on the grandstand on the far side.

"That last quarter when the crowd roared, I think everyone stopped and looked around, we thought the siren had gone but it was just people reacting to what happened down at Geelong.

"It was an amazing game and the start of an amazing few weeks in the finals."

Demons fans are again daring to dream.