AFL NEWS: May suspended for drinking and scuffle with teammate, Hird back at Bombers, dissent back track

AFL ladder leaders Melbourne have suspended star defender Steven May for the Queen’s Birthday blockbuster with Collingwood after he and teammate Jake Melksham had an altercation after drinking.

May and Melksham had a scuffle in Prahran on Sunday night at approximately 9pm, after drinking at a dinner with teammates earlier in the evening.

The 30-year-old was not meant to be drinking as he was in concussion protocols and he has been suspended for one match by the club, ruling him out of the big clash with the Magpies.

May’s latest indiscretion comes three years after the former Gold Coast skipper avoided a club sanction for drinking while injured.

“Following a dinner on Sunday evening, Jake and Steven informed us of a scuffle that took place after a lighthearted disagreement between the pair escalated,” Melbourne general manager of football performance Alan Richardson said in a statement.

“Both Jake and Steven had been drinking at dinner and are incredibly remorseful that things played out the way they did.

“Given Steven is still under the AFL concussion protocols from Round 11, he was aware that under club guidelines he should not have been drinking.

“The leadership group has recommended to impose a one-match ban on Steven, a decision which has been endorsed by the club’s broader leadership. This will make him unavailable for both AFL and VFL selection.”

The Demons have lost two games in a row, with May concussed against Fremantle and unavailable against Sydney.

Melbourne have desperately missed star defender May but said they needed to stick to their standards.

“Over the past three years, Steven has developed into one of our most important on-field leaders, and while the impact of not having him available for selection is significant, what is more significant to us is our culture and the commitment we have to live by our values,” Richardson said.

“Steven is extremely remorseful and accepts his actions were completely out of step with the expectations the club and his teammates have of him. 

“He accepts the sanction handed down and makes no excuse for his poor judgement.”

In his first season at Melbourne in May 2019, May apologised to his teammates after he was spotted drinking at a pub while sidelined with a groin injury, but avoided suspension.

He had previously been criticised for turning up to pre-season unfit and had his 2019 season ruined by injuries, before becoming the Demons’ defensive rock over the past three years.

May previously had his jaw broken by then-teammate Campbell Brown in an altercation at a Los Angeles nightclub in 2013.

Both the “extremely remorseful” May and Melksham will also complete community service.

Hird set for return

James Hird is set to return to Essendon in an official capacity for the first time since departing as coach, taking part in the AFL club’s 150th anniversary celebrations this week.

The Bombers will mark the occasion on Friday night when they take on old rivals Carlton at the MCG.

Hird quit as Essendon coach in 2015, having previously stood down for 12 months amid the fallout from the infamous supplements scandal.

The 49-year-old has been working with GWS this season, initially in a part-time leadership capacity.

He took on an expanded coaching role in support of interim coach Mark McVeigh after Leon Cameron’s departure last month.

The move has sparked suggestions Hird could eventually take on another senior coaching role.

There has also been speculation Hird could return to Essendon full-time, with Bombers chief executive Xavier Campbell saying the two-time premiership player is “always welcome” at the club.

Former Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy said Hird will be warmly received by the club’s fans when he takes part in the pre-game festivities leading into the Carlton clash.

“It will be absolutely fantastic for our fans to see Hird back at the club,’” Sheedy told the Herald Sun.

“He’s been an incredible player for our club and unfortunately he coached the team through the supplement saga era.’”

Essendon have managed just two victories in a disappointing 2022 season and will need to pull off a huge upset if they are to topple high-flying Carlton.

AFL eases up on player dissent

The AFL has told umpires to soften their position on player dissent in a recalibration of the previously hardline stance.

There was a strict crackdown on any form of dissent early in the season, with players often penalised for simply putting their arms out in reaction to umpiring decisions.

But last week the league privately instructed umpires to let a small level of emotion go unpunished as long as players show restraint.

It comes as the AFL claims the dissent rule has already been successful in changing player behaviour at all levels of football.

“The players have continued to adapt, and are adapting well, as are the umpires,” an AFL spokesperson said.

“It is having the desired effect on reducing umpire dissent on field and having a positive impact at the junior level we wanted.

“Everyone is playing their part as the season progresses.”

Moments like the Jordan De Goey incident in round nine, when the Collingwood star showed frustration at an umpiring decision but held back, will no longer result in a 50-metre penalty for dissent.

Magpies coach Craig McRae gave the adjustment his tick of approval.

“It’s just a natural progression,” McRae told Fox Footy.

“You can see the players are really trying. They are.”

Nat Fyfe. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Fyfe eyeing off forward role

Fremantle superstar Nat Fyfe is set to spend plenty of time in attack when he makes his AFL return this week.

Barring any unforeseen setbacks, Fyfe will play his first game this year for the Dockers in Saturday’s clash with Hawthorn at Optus Stadium.

It comes after the dual Brownlow medallist made a successful comeback from shoulder and back surgeries with WAFL affiliate Peel Thunder last weekend.

On the eve of the season, Fyfe emphatically declared his time experimenting with a role in the forward line was over.

But the Dockers’ hot form in his absence has shifted the goal posts as Fyfe looks for where he can offer “net value add” to the team.

“There’s no point me going back into the midfield and playing a role that Will Brodie, David Mundy, Caleb Serong or Andy Brayshaw have done so well for the whole season,” Fyfe told Fox Footy.

“Plus I’ll be pretty rusty and need to take a number of weeks to find some form, so that would indicate there would be a fairly big forward component to where I play.

“But what that looks like exactly, we’re only a week into winter, we’ve got a lot of heavy lifting to go through the back end of the year.

“My role will be flexible and adaptable as we go throughout the year.”

Fyfe laughed off his pre-season call that he would not return to the forward line in 2022.

“It just shows the short-sightedness of sweeping declarations,” he said.

“There’s new information now, we’re a different team than we were at the start of the year as far as what we’ve been able to build.

“I am very open to playing forward, I started my career as a forward, but more than anything, I’m very open to playing within our system.

“Wherever best suits the team and wherever we can identify my strengths adding to that mix.”

Fremantle (9-3) have surprised critics to sit third on the ladder after statement wins over Melbourne and Brisbane in the last two weeks.

Williamson taking time out

Carlton defender Tom Williamson has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the AFL club to deal with personal issues.

The 23-year-old has featured in one senior game this season, as an unused substitute against Richmond in round one.

In a club statement on Monday night, the Blues said they had been supporting Williamson for several months as he dealt with “a number of personal issues”.

“It has been agreed by all parties that it would be best that Williamson takes extended time away from the football club to focus on his wellbeing and ultimately address his personal issues,” the statement read.

“The wellbeing and the health and safety of all remains the club’s priority and due to the sensitive nature of this matter, the club is not in a position to provide any further comment at this stage.”

Williamson has played 44 games for Carlton since being selected with pick No.61 in the 2016 national draft.

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