Melbourne are quietly confident that Steven May will escape suspension as the premiership defender prepares to front the AFL Tribunal at 5 pm AEST on Wednesday.
May is facing a rough conduct charge after a heavy clash left Carlton’s Francis Evans concussed, with a broken nose and a displaced tooth.
The incident was classified as careless conduct, high contact and severe impact, a combination that carries a minimum three-game ban. But the Demons believe they have a compelling case, and it hinges on a recent Tribunal outcome involving Fremantle captain Alex Pearce.
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Demons lean on Pearce ruling to defend May
“They (the Demons) are convinced that Steven May will get off, and they think that the Alex Pearce case is the key,” Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph said on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle.
“Melbourne believes the fact that it was a marking contest for Alex Pearce, rather than a groundball, actually helps them. Because with Pearce, the ball was in the air, it wasn’t moving (bouncing unpredictably) there.
“With May, on a slippery night, the ball bounced and bounced, and they felt it was absolutely going to bounce towards May.”
The Tribunal previously ruled that a concussion “does not inevitably result in a careless finding,” a line Melbourne’s advocate Adrian Anderson is expected to seize upon in his defence.
Lauren Wood, also of the Herald Sun, confirmed May will give evidence if medically cleared to do so, having suffered a concussion himself in the same incident.
“It’s a very unique situation when we have a concussed player giving evidence in a Tribunal hearing about a concussed player,” she said. “But I spoke to the Dees (on Tuesday), and all indications are that Steven will give evidence (on Wednesday), if he is feeling OK.”