Steven May’s interaction with Max Gawn post-game was nothing more than an ill-timed question from the defender to his 2021 premiership captain.
After Gawn turned the ball over deep in the back pocket, May asked Gawn if he thought there was only a few seconds left. In other words, he queried why the ruckman rushed his kick given they had more than 30 seconds to go coast to coast.
Gawn was frustrated for three reasons. The first was that he was called to play on by the umpire, the second – given he believed he didn’t move off his mark – was that two Collingwood players encroached on him, which could have led to a 50 metre penalty, and the third was with himself and his shoddy kick inboard.
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The kick hit the chest of Magpies player Will Hoskin-Elliott, effectively ending the contest.
As a result, the Melbourne captain was on edge and vulnerable to May’s questioning.
Max Gawn and Steven May Fox Footy
May quizzed him in good faith, but later conceded to teammates his timing could have been better given the occasion and the tenseness of the moment.
Gawn waved May away, making contact with him, which was picked up by the broadcast cameras at the venue. He received May’s question in a more critical way than what it was intended.
May then sought to clarify that he wasn’t meaning to be critical, rather curious.
Gawn and May spoke post-game and there were no hard feelings. They understood neither one meant any harm in the heat of the moment.
“I spoke to both of them and they are passionate,” Dees coach Simon Goodwin said on Fox Footy last night.
“They gave a little bit of feedback to each other and obviously they are talking about it now. They are fine. They’ve moved on.
“They are obviously both winners and both passionate about winning. You don’t want to have that look on-field, but that’s the way they operate. They are pretty strong with one another and they move on and get better.”
Steven May of the Demons. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Gawn himself spoke similarly in the rooms after the game.
“We’re just both competitors. We both wanted to win. Unfortunately with 30 seconds to go I put the ball in Hoskin-Elliott’s lap and I’m pretty sure all 17 of my teammates were pretty angry with that decision,” he told Channel Seven.
“We will (clear the air together), but not yet. We’ve earmarked it, don’t worry.
“I wasn’t on the moon that I got called to play on in the first place. There was not much I could do to be honest.”
