In the months following the 1996 merger vote, prominent businessman Joseph Gutnick became president of the Melbourne Football Club. He put $3 million of his own money into the club, which performed inconsistently onfield over the following few years, reaching and then missing the finals in alternating years between 1998 and 2004. Despite making the finals in 2002, Gutnick was voted out by the members. The club has since generally struggled financially, and has struggled to make finals on a consistent basis. However, in 2018 they played in the finals series for the first time since 2006.