Melbourne star Steven May is at the mercy of the match review officer after leaving Francis Evans bloodied and concussed in a huge collision during the Demons’ eight-point loss to Carlton.
Patrick Cripps led from the front and unsung forward Ashton Moir kicked four goals in the Blues’ 12.6 (78) to 10.10 (70) victory at the MCG on Saturday night.
It ended Carlton’s four-match losing streak, improving their win-loss record to 7-11 for the season, and eased pressure on embattled coach Michael Voss.
But the biggest talking point out of the scrappy affair between two sides that won’t play finals was two-time All-Australian defender May’s third-quarter clash with Evans.
The two players attacked a loose ball from opposite directions and Evans arrived a fraction of a second earlier, taking possession before May clipped him high.
There did not appear to be any malice in the incident, though May’s shoulder made contact with Evans’ face and the Carlton forward was soon substituted out with concussion.
Moir converted the free-kick awarded to Evans for May’s high contact
The Blues were waiting on further assessment to determine whether Evans suffered any more damage, but early reports were that he may have had a tooth knocked loose in the bone-crunching collision.
The act has instantly proved enormously controversial, with former greats Jason Dunstall and Nathan Buckley questioning on Fox Footy whether May had any alternative.
“It’s a tough one, isn’t it,” Dunstall said.
“He didn’t lift the arm, he was desperate to go for the ball, he put his hands down for the ball. Probably, these days, you have to step out of the way, don’t you?
“Can Steven May make a late decision to get out of the way and let Evans run onto the ball?”
“We look at the slow-mos there, that was done in such a split-second. He would have thought that he was going to go and win that football until the smidgeon after,” Buckley added.
“I don’t know whether our game is capable of allowing that anymore. We’re trying to legislate that outcome – not the intent – we’re taking that outcome out of the game.
“I don’t know if, other than not compete, what Steven May can do there.”
A visibly bewildered May was left ‘nonplussed’ after giving away the free kick, according to Dunstall.
However, Fox Footy‘s David King was far harsher on May, saying the Demons defender should be suspended for the remainder of the season.
“He picked him off,” was King’s blunt assessment of the incident.
“It’s as simple as that. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he picked him off.
“This is from a bygone era. This is not 2025. He’s played his last game for the season right now, Steven May. That’s as bad as it gets.
“You’ve got a player in a vulnerable position, you choose to bump, you hit nothing but the absolute middle of his face. These players, they know their way how to navigate around the ground. We see them do amazing individual passages of play.
“This is a six-weeker for me … it doesn’t get worse than that. That’s straight to the Tribunal.”
King’s comments were even harsher than Blues coach Michael Voss’ after the game, who chose instead to praise Evans’ courage in attacking the football.
“Both players were in line with the ball and seemed to be attacking it … both sort of making a play at the ball and maybe one person was one step late,” Voss said after the match.
“Obviously then the incident happens, but for Frankie (Evans) to be able to hold his line with a pretty strong man coming the other way was a pretty important moment in the game.”
May, who had treatment on his sore right shoulder, faces the prospect of being suspended for several weeks over the incident.
But he will miss at least one match regardless of the match review officer’s findings, after being concussed himself from Tom De Koning’s accidental knee to the head in a marking contest late in the match.
“Steve’s whole intent was to get the ball, clearly,” Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said of the Evans collision.
“You can see it when you slow it down, his whole intent was to get the ball.
“It’s really unfortunate that you get a concussion in the game, and sometimes you can be concussed without (the player) being reported.
“It’s going to be one of those ones where we’ll have to go through the process, but if you just look at his pure intent, it was purely for the ball and it was unfortunate.”
(with AAP)
