Why isn't the whole reserve sold before hand like the AFL members to avoid the stupidity of having to rock at up 3am? Would also mean leftover tickets could be sold off to ensure a full house. It is always the one area not 100% full every year. Does anyone know why they keep this archaic system?
Because there's few things more satisfying than being rewarded for the dedication of getting to the queue at around midnight in good weather (about 2am if it's raining) by being able to walk in and grab arguably the best seats in the house in N47.
I'm generalising, but the ballot is for MCC members who are neutrals, or more casual with their support. Getting to the queue in the wee hours is for the die hards.
If you're a full club member, chances are you're pretty desperate to go and passionate about the result. That's not necessarily the case for MCC members. So the system that they use doesn't unfairly disadvantage the neutral MCC members (who deserves the seat more: the Melbourne supporter who's attended 20-30 MCG games in 2017, or the Richmond supporter who's dusting the membership off for the first time this year to get into the GF?), while giving a guaranteed seat to anyone who misses out on the ballot, provided they're keen enough. I think it works perfectly.