pay the West Coast Eagles' licence fee as its holder, the Demons had to raise $100,000 to avoid folding at the close of the season. There were unsuccessful plans by the WAFL to relocate the Demons to the Perth Hills to capture expanding outer suburbs as West Perth did by moving to Joondalup, but in spite of the trouble many players had travelling to Lathlain, the Perth board voted by 115 to 83 to remain there on 11 July 1995. Continuing financial losses reached a peak in 1997. Despite an inglorious start with its lowest score since 1952 against Swan Districts, 1997 saw the Demons play consistently enough to record their best home-and-away performance for nineteen years, missing out on the double chance by only five percent from East Fremantle. The manner in which the Demons reversed a last round loss to East Perth by eleven goals in the first semi final might have made people think at the very least a grand final berth was forthcoming, but South Fremantle put paid to that with a six-goal win in the preliminary final. Suffering from internal dissent as presidents Barry McGrath and Nick Catalano were opposed by the board over not only relocation, which most other members opposed in favour of a better deal from the West Australian Football Commission, but also the admission of , Perth immediately returned to the basement. In 1998 with the loss of key players Brett Spinks, Winston Abraham, Shane Cable, Matthew McMurray, Dean Bertram and Darren Rigby, the Demons won a mere four games and in 2000 were very lucky not to have their first winless season, beating Swan Districts in the final round. Despite the recruitment of a proven coach in Stan Magro, Perth were not able to sustain improvements to a 50/50 win–loss ratio in 2002 and 2004. In 2005 the Demons won only three games, and then recruitment of another high-profile coach in former North Adelaide, Norwood and Adelaide Crows champion Andrew Jarman collapsed completely after a promising 2009 season: the Demons won only two games in 2010 for their fourteenth wooden spoon. The cycle was repeated even more dramatically in 2014: the Demons had looked like a first league finals berth since 1997 before fading and had had both lower grades make the top four in 2013, but in 2014 after winning their opening two matches an injury crisis and off-field