Steven May’s Three-game Ban For Brutal Collision Set To Divide The Afl World

Debate is group to rage aft Melbourne defender Steven May was handed a three-match prohibition for his devastating collision pinch an force that has divided nan shot world.

May was recovered blameworthy of unsmooth behaviour astatine nan AFL tribunal connected Wednesday nighttime for nan collision that concussed Francis Evans and near nan Carlton guardant pinch a surgery chemoreceptor and a chipped tooth.

A biomechanics master calculated May had only 0.56 seconds from nan ball’s last bounce until nan infinitesimal of nan collision, and that nan premiership defender would person needed astatine slightest 0.2 to 0.25 seconds to react.

“The clip disposable to him to comprehend and respond to a analyzable script is not capable for him to accommodate and debar contact,” AIS biomechanist Daniel Cottam said successful his findings, not each of which could beryllium submitted arsenic grounds for nan tribunal hearing.

May based on he had small clip to react, saying he was truthful judge he was going to get to nan shot first that he was near shocked erstwhile Evans hit him to it during Saturday’s crippled astatine nan MCG.

But AFL Tribunal president Jeff Gleeson said May had ample clip while moving towards nan shot to realise location was a large chance he wouldn’t get location first and to travel up pinch a contingency plan.

“The astir he could person hoped was that he would get astatine astir nan aforesaid clip arsenic Evans,” Gleeson said. “It was acold much apt that he would scope nan shot aft Evans.

“As he gathered nan ball, Evans had clip to position his assemblage conscionable somewhat truthful arsenic to move somewhat distant from May. This gives immoderate denotation that May had capable clip to make immoderate effort to move his assemblage successful a measurement that minimised aliases avoided nan effect limits.

“May made nary effort to alteration his path, his assemblage position aliases his velocity astatine immoderate clip starring up to aliases successful nan contest.”

Before nan hearing, Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps questioned really May could person approached things differently.

“I felt for illustration some of them were trying to title nan ball,” Cripps told nan On nan Inside podcast. “You ne'er want to spot a subordinate get injured but I don’t understand what we want players to do.

“If that’s a expansive last and [May] hesitates and Franky gets nan ball, what do you do?”

The determination to suspend May has group a beardown precedent erstwhile it comes to players arriving astatine a loose shot wrong a divided 2nd of each other. He will miss games against St Kilda, West Coast and nan Western Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, Sydney defender Riak Andrew was handed a five-match suspension aft being recovered blameworthy of utilizing a homophobic slur while representing nan Swans’ reserves team.

First-year subordinate Andrew, nan younger relative of Gold Coast prima Mac Andrew, utilized nan slur during nan Swans’ VFL conflict pinch North Melbourne connected Saturday.

The AFL integrity portion investigated nan matter aft a North Melbourne subordinate informed an umpire astir it during nan match.

The investigation recovered that Andrew utilized a highly violative homophobic slur towards a North Melbourne opponent.

“In nan people of nan investigation, Andrew made afloat admissions and was remorseful and apologetic,” nan AFL said successful a statement.