Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin says Steven May has been left “devastated and shattered” by his three-match suspension, maintaining the star defender believed he had done nothing wrong in the moment that’s left the AFL world divided.
May will front the appeals board next week after the tribunal found he did not bump Carlton’s Francis Evans but still held him responsible for the collision that left Evans concussed, with a broken nose and a missing tooth.
Goodwin, who continues to call it a “football incident”, remains hopeful of a successful appeal and said May had left the MCG last weekend believing he’d made a genuine play on the ball.
“Right from the outset when he first came to the bench, he was a little bit confused and thought he’d done the right thing and gone at the footy,” Goodwin said on Friday.
MORE: Hawthorn forwards could be traded, claims Kane Cornes
“He was shattered, he was disappointed with the outcome and clearly frustrated.”
‘We think he had a play on the ball’
May was concussed in the same contest and is currently going through return-to-play protocols. Goodwin stressed that while the game was changing, and players were being educated on how to approach contests, May’s actions should still be seen in context.
“We think he had a play on the ball, and it was a football incident,” Goodwin said. “From my perspective, that’s ultimately the argument that we’ll go with.”
“It’s one of those cases where everyone wants it to go through the appeals (process) and see what the outcome is going to be.”
Goodwin added that May was “in good spirits” and staying focused on his recovery, with the club intent on gaining clarity from the appeals process.