Melbourne Demons star Steven May has been fined by the AFL following criticism from Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes, who called his peculiar behavior ’embarrassing’ for the sport. North Melbourne nearly completed an epic comeback after trailing by 39 points but ultimately lost 70-67.
The match was overshadowed by a controversial incident involving May. In the third quarter, with nine minutes remaining, Eddie Ford tackled May, pulling him to the ground in a ball-and-all tackle.
May stayed on the ground clutching his head. Ford was penalized for a dangerous tackle, as it was believed that May’s head hit the ground after being thrown to the turf. Kangaroos fans were outraged, with many thinking May should have conceded a free kick for holding the ball.
However, replays revealed that May’s head never made contact with the ground during the tackle. Instead, it appeared that May deliberately pushed his head into the ground after the initial impact to win a free kick and deceive the umpires.
Fans accused May of ‘staging’ an injury, and six-time All-Australian Brad Johnson claimed May ‘milked’ the free kick. On Sunday, AFL match review officer Michael Christian fined May for staging. May can accept a $1250 sanction with an early plea or risk a $1875 fine if he challenges it.
Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes was highly critical of May’s actions, calling the incident ’embarrassing.’ “It has to be a fine. That is one of his more embarrassing moments on the field,” Cornes said on Channel 9. “His head went nowhere.”
“His head went no where near the ground. And then he has thrown his head into the ground and grabbed his head to suck in a free-kick. I think he can be fined.”
Alastair Clarkson blasts Kangaroos after devastating loss
While May’s incident overshadowed Melbourne’s win, Kangaroos coach Clarkson was disappointed his team couldn’t complete the comeback. “We’re really pleased that we made a game of it in the end, but we’re disappointed we didn’t start the game as well as we’d have liked,” Clarkson said after the game.
“Five goals to one in the first quarter – we fully expected the Demons to come out firing after a couple of weeks since their last game. They started particularly well, and we worked our way back into the contest. I just wish there was a fifth quarter; we couldn’t quite get there.”
North Melbourne has come close to victory in recent weeks with narrow losses to Collingwood and Melbourne. Clarkson expressed confidence that his team will soon turn these close losses into wins. “It seems a little comical that we weren’t doing a lot of it in the first half of the year,” he said.
“What’s the point of practicing something when you’re never in close finishes? But it gives us heart that we can practice some of that now. Not that we absolutely ignored it, but it’s pretty hard for players to get motivated to practice red-time finishes in games when you’re rarely in them. At the moment, the more experienced sides probably know what to do in the crunch a little better than we do, but at least we’re giving ourselves a chance in games, and we’ll learn.”
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has addressed Steven May about his fine for staging but believes the star defender’s character has been unfairly attacked since the incident.
The Demons veteran received a $1875 fine for successfully feigning a dangerous tackle free kick during the third quarter of their win over North Melbourne on Saturday night.
May is the first player to be fined by the AFL for staging in nearly a year, but Goodwin noted that many similar incidents have gone unnoticed.
“I think there’s been enough focus on Steven for me to have the conversation with him,” the coach said on Tuesday.
“I don’t think he’s the first player to ever try to get a free kick, so clearly he’s a bit embarrassed by the situation, but I think some of the talk has been a bit excessive.”
“If you know Steven’s character and his competitiveness, you’d know he plays the game at the highest level. One of the things overlooked from the weekend is his performance against Nick Larkey.”
Goodwin said calling May a “cheat” for his actions was “a bit much” and that feigning for a free kick should not be linked to a disregard for the AFL’s crackdown on concussion.
“I think it’s a very long bow to draw in this situation. Clearly, Steve was trying to get some delay in the game and a free kick,” Goodwin said.
“I’m sure he’s not the first person to feign for a free kick and get one, but it’s an embarrassing situation when it gets called out for staging in the public forum. When you get called out like this, you’re probably not going to do it again.”
Goodwin stated that Jake Lever only needed to complete training on Tuesday to be fit to face Brisbane at the Gabba on Friday night, while Christian Salem (knee soreness) was “progressing well” and also expected to play.
Lever, who hasn’t played since suffering a concussion in round 10 and subsequently undergoing surgery for a pre-existing knee injury, left the field midway through the warm-up for treatment on his right knee shortly after Goodwin spoke.
The star interceptor appeared to have his knee re-strapped before rejoining the main training group and moved freely.
“(Lever) just needs to get through training. He’s done all the match loads the last few weeks and he’s done all the training possible, so it’s just getting through today’s session and he’ll be on the plane up to Brisbane,” Goodwin said.
“It’s going to be great to get one of our leaders back. He’s a really important player for us and obviously helps the back half of the ground.”
Goodwin mentioned that Jake Lever only needed to complete Tuesday’s training session to be ready for the match against Brisbane at the Gabba on Friday night. He also noted that Christian Salem, who had been dealing with knee soreness, was making good progress and was also expected to participate.
Lever, who has been out since suffering a concussion in round 10 and subsequently undergoing knee surgery for a pre-existing injury, left the field during the warm-up for treatment on his right knee shortly after Goodwin’s statement. He was seen having his knee re-strapped before returning to the main training group and moving freely.
“Jake just needs to get through training. He’s completed all the match loads in recent weeks and all possible training, so it’s just about getting through today’s session and he’ll travel with the team to Brisbane,” Goodwin explained.
“It will be fantastic to have one of our leaders back. He’s a crucial player for us, particularly in our defensive half.”
There has been considerable discussion about Clayton and his current situation… the contract and various matters are aspects we’ll need to manage over the long term.
“We all recognize the effort he’s put in to prepare himself for AFL football, and truthfully, he continues to make an impact for our team. He must be doing something right if opposition teams are willing to tag him.”
Like this:
Like Loading...
