‘Don’t understand the argument’: Greats clash in TV debate over Demons star’s brutal hit

Could Steven May have foreseen he was going to make high contact with Francis Evans before committing to the contest?

Fox Footy’s The First Crack team debated the charge facing May after the Melbourne defender was referred directly to the tribunal for his bump on Carlton’s Francis Evans that left the Blue knocked out and blooded.

The pair collided in the third quarter of the MCG match in an ugly incident after May’s shoulder caught Evans high, despite May staying in line with the ball. It was graded as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.

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It leaves May’s fate in the hands of the tribunal on Tuesday night in what looms as a “fascinating test case for the AFL on what is acceptable on a football field,” according to Saints legend Leigh Montagna.

Montagna, who was left frustrated the Match Review Officer (MRO) couldn’t hand down its own verdict, thinks too much is being asked of May to protect Evans in that contest.

Carlton face their Demons to secure win | 02:34

“This is still frustrating players, fans and everyone in the footy community — what you can and can’t do and what is suspendable and what is not,” Montagna said.

“This is why we’re all waiting for (AFL footy boss) Greg Swann to start, we want the AFL to tell us what Steven May is supposed to do in this situation. What is the alternative option?

“I’m finding it a bit frustrating they’re sending this to the tribunal and not making a decision themselves. Why are we leaving it up to three past players? We’re not sure how much footy they watch on a week-to-week basis.

“It’s easy for everyone to say to sit here and say: ‘We’re conditioned for that to automatically be three weeks and you can’t do that on a football field anymore.’

“But when you take a look at some other incidents in recent weeks, the confusion is still there.”

Montagna pointed to Alex Pearce getting off his three-match ban for a collision with Darcy Byrne-Jones in Round 11, while Ben King didn’t have a case to answer for at all for a hip and shoulder that knocked out Lachie Whitfield in Round 15.

Former Hawthorn sharpshooter Ben Dixon was “staggered” May was sent to the tribunal and “staggered” the MRO didn’t make its own decision.

“I have no doubt Steven May has taken a line to that ball. What do you want him to do in that split second?,” Dixon argued.

However dual premiership Kangaroo David King had less sympathy for May, arguing he went into the contest too recklessly and now needs to pay the price for the outcome.

It led to the below debate between King and Montagna and Dixon on the program ...

Panel debates May's fate after big hit | 04:27

Montagna: “You think (May) needs to make a decision earlier (about pulling out of the contest).”

King: “The game says that.”

Montagna: “But at what point is he meant to know he can’t win the ball? At what point is he meant to know to pull out and let Francis Evans win the ball? That’s what I find unrealistic in this game.”

King: “You’ve said this I reckon 10 times in three years. Every time you point that out, the player being hit is being with the absolute point of the shoulder by the guy going to the tribunal. It’s staggering how every time they hit them flush. I don’t understand the argument you’re coming with, I really don’t.”

Dixon: “Take me back to the King one, hit him in the head, no case to answer.”

King: “I was with you on the King one.”

Dixon: “May didn’t leave his line. In that instance he has every right to go for that ball. He doesn’t a duty of care (for Evans), he has a duty of care to hold his line. If that ball bounced left, he’s in the right. If he pulls out he’s going to get hammered, he could even get hurt. We’ve got to teach the player to protect themselves. He protected himself.”

King: “But you’re asking them to protect themselves at the cost of the other guy. That’s the discussion.”

Dixon: “But that’s the cost of our game.”

King: “No, no. In your eyes it is. If we go down that path we’ll have jousting sticks and the Romans vs. lions at half-time of a grand final.”

Dixon: “Guys will get their full whack when it’s careless. That was not careless.”

King: “Well, we differ on that. That’s what we’re trying to find out on Tuesday night.”

Voss: Young guns 'energised' the team | 11:36

The show cut to a grab of Blues coach Michael Voss, who said players needed to be coached “slightly different” with regards to how they approach contests now to ensure they don’t endanger an opponent.

“Clearly the determining factor will be how much time he had to get at the ball,” Voss said.

“Unfortunately in the game we’re playing, that has to be coached slightly different. We know any sort of contact like that high is gong to be looked at really closely. All I’ll commend Franky doing is holding his line on the ball. It was a big moment in the game for us, we were up against it. For him to be able to do that was a real team act.”

The First Crack debate then continued ....

Montagna: “That’s confusing. He commended Franky Evans for keeping his line of the ball, but he’s saying at the same time he needs to train his players to attack the contest different.”

King: “If you’re attacking the contest, you can’t make contact with that. That’s what he’s saying. He does tuck the arm.”

Montagna: “His arm hangs out.”

King: “Nah, nah, nah, he tucks.”

Montagna: “We showed the other angle, ‘Kingy’. He tucks after he hits him, he flinches after he makes contact.”

King: “‘Joey’, ‘Joey’.”

Montagna: “His arm is down, look, there.”

King: “‘Joey’, where does he his head hit Steven May?”

Montagna: “His head hits Steven May right on the point of his shoulder, because of the height difference as well. There’s a height difference we can’t factor in.”

Dixon: “Unfortunately he went off concussed, that’s our game. I understand if that was careless, he should get three weeks plus. But that was not careless, that is Steven May committing to that ball. If you’re going to coach players in this instance-”

King: “Michael Voss is doing it at clubland, by the sound of his own words. If he’s doing it, the competition should be taking notice. If you don’t want to take notice and want to run the red light, every now and then you’re gong to get booked. And Steven May gets booked for running the red light. For taking the risk and going into that contest at that sort of speed, where it’s considered reckless because he has no certainty on what the outcome is going to be.”

Dixon: “If I’m coach I’m paying every red light my player runs through, 100 per cent.”

King: “OK, agree. And you’ll pay a few.”

Dixon: “Yeah, no doubt I will.”

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