It only took a day for Steven May’s phone to start “blowing up” after those comments he made about Collingwood.
Speaking at the Demons’ best and fairest awards when he was asked about his hunger to make amends for the club’s 2023 campaign, May honestly declared Melbourne “should have smoked” Collingwood in their qualifying final and was “so much better” than the eventual premier.
It became the hottest news item in footy circles as scrutiny came far and wide on the gun defence – largely from Magpies fans, who made May public enemy number one.
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Not that he was overly phased by some of the more direct blowback. In fact, May embraces such footy “banter.”
“I didn’t think it was being leaked. I came fifth in the best and fairest … did a couple of Q&A’s and let everyone know how I really felt. I didn’t think too much of it. The phone started blowing up a little bit, the next day when they released the footage,” May told News Corp after Melbourne’s 15-point Gather Round win over Adelaide.
“Honestly, they just won a flag, why do they care what I think? You’ve just won a premiership, you’re out celebrating and having the best off-season of your life. Who cares about what one fullback said that went out in straight sets?
“I’m sure they’re not going: ‘This premiership is tainted because he doesn’t rate us’, which is not what I meant. I thought it was a little bit blown out of proportion.
“All the Collingwood fans were getting into me and I was thinking: ‘Guys, go celebrate your premiership’. All they sent to me on social media was their premiership and stuff. And that’s awesome, I love that banter and that sort of thing – it’s the best comeback. I’ve got nothing to say to that!
“All I can do now is try and play my best, help this team and put ourselves in a position to do what Collingwood did. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”
May conceded he could’ve chosen his words better in the moment and didn’t “mean to offend” the Magpies, emphasising his frustration with his side’s second consecutive straight-sets finals exit
If anything, May wanted his comments to reflect admiration towards Collingwood and a want to emulate how Craig McRae’s side has consistently risen in big moments to win crucial games.
The 32-year old ultimately believes Melbourne simply wasn’t maximising its talent – a group that seemed destined to win more premierships after its drought-breaking 2021 flag.
“I could’ve chosen my words a lot better. In no way did I mean to offend Collingwood, and it came out like that,” May said.
“What I was trying to say was that I believed in our team and the talent and coaching structure. I felt like we were on par with Collingwood and could compete with them – we beat them during the year – but they won the critical contests.
“Like us (against Port Adelaide) last week, we don’t have to be the best team on the night, but when the game was there to be won (we did). Like Collingwood did last year, it was unbelievable, I don’t know how many times they came back and won.
“I was trying to say ‘we need to get a little bit tougher in those critical moments’. Because we do a mountain of work in the pre-season, we win a lot of games and get ourselves in the top four, but then go out in straight sets two years in a row.
“That’s what the frustration was about. It was more like, we’re just as good as them, but they stand up when it matters. I was talking to my teammates and our supporters, I wasn’t in a press conference.
“I looked like an idiot for the next 10 weeks when there wasn’t much for the media to talk about. But I wasn’t trying to offend them, I was trying to say: ‘Well done and that’s what we need to be like’.”
PLAYING THROUGH BROKEN RIBS
The Demons have somewhat vindicated May’s comments in the early parts of the 2024 season, winning four-straight games – including completing a perfect 2-0 Adelaide away trip – to currently sit at the top of the ladder.
The star defender remarkably played through two broken ribs against the Crows on Thursday night in an injury that only sidelined May for one game.
The injury was particularly noticeable in the first quarter when May took an outstretched mark over Taylor Walker before grimacing in pain.
“Probably a little bit of carry on from me out there. The first contest of the game, I didn’t feel great. But then I got that confidence to be like: ‘Aw OK, that’s as bad as it’s going to be. I can still keep playing, take marks and spoil’,” May said.
“You’ve got to grit your teeth and get through. It was a bit of nerves of not wanting to let the team down. If you put your hand up to play, you can’t be getting subbed out in the first quarter.
“So I think it was probably a blessing in disguise to cop that hit early and see it was as bad as it was going to get.”
May also opened up on his gruelling recovery from the transverse process vertebrae injury, which is “almost half bone, half muscle,” including being hospitalised overnight after suffering the setback against Hawthorn in Round 2.
He credited the Demons’ medical staff for getting him up to play and “not be a liability” even if “I didn’t play my best.”
“It’s in a good spot in terms of that I’m able to still play – it’s not right in the front – it’s sort of hidden. The way I presented at training and I’ve got a bit of protection around there too, it helps being a bigger bloke,” he said.
“I stayed in (hospital) overnight and they just wanted to check a few things and monitor me. Because of the game, your heart rate and everything is up so high because of the adrenaline.
“It actually starts improving a lot faster. The first couple of days, you can’t roll over and walk properly. Sleeping is pretty horrible … I just sleep on the opposite side, it’s s***house.
“I had some painkillers, I’m actually scared of needles. They threw up giving me a jab, but everyone knows I’m no good (with needles). I’ve actually got a drug test after this, I asked them ‘is it blood and urine?’ They said urine and I was like ‘thank god’. I’ve been known to faint.”
May added he was “very thankful” Crows players didn’t target him on Thursday night – an approach that raised the eyebrows of Fox Footy pundits – but noted it was rare for current AFL players to try and purposely hurt an underdone opponent.
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“In today’s footy, even without sore ribs, if someone started hitting me, the AFL really don’t like that swinging action. So the only way they could really get me is with a bump or a marking contest,” May continued.
“I think 20 years ago now, you could be copping a few things, but we’re all competitors and we understand what it’s like to have injuries. No one really likes to (hurt) people when they’re injured. It’s a tough game as it is, if someone is playing injured, you’re probably not trying to hurt them.
“But I am thankful. There was one moment where I went back and (Darcy) Fogarty sort of jumped on me and not through me. I sort of said: ‘Thanks big fella, I appreciate it’.”
The star defender said his rib injury was “chalk and cheese” compared to his much more painful 6cm hamstring tear he played through in the 2021 Grand Final win over the Western Bulldogs.
“I don’t know why I played (in the 2021 GF), that was silly of me thinking back,” he said.
“I’m happy I played, because I got a flag out of it. But how limited I felt in the granny compared to tonight, it’s chalk and cheese. The hamstring thing, I wasn’t aware of the full extent of it.
“I don’t want to talk about the past too much, but thankfully Aaron Naughton didn’t run me around too much and stayed a bit more down the line. I was thanking my lucky stars.”
WINNING ANOTHER FLAG AT THE ‘G ‘BIGGEST CARROT’
As May realises at 32 years of age, “I’m not getting any younger.”
Nor are a host of his veteran teammates, most notably star skipper Max Gawn, also 32.
But five games into their 2024 campaign and it’s clear the Demons will again be among the chief flag contenders in their bid to salute a second time under Simon Goodwin.
“Myself and ‘Maxy’ (Gawn) are trying to tell the young ones: ‘Hey fellas, I know you’re developing, but let’s get going. Because we want to be involved in another one’,” he said.
“It’s an unbelievable group and I’m very fortunate to be part of this team and a great coaching staff.
“You don’t want to waste an opportunity. We’re doing everything right – we’re a connected group and we came here on a mission to win two games in Adelaide and we were able to do that.”
It comes after a tough couple of seasons of the Demons, falling well short of expectations with consecutive straight-sets finals exits followed by a tumultuous off-season of field distractions.
Just last week the Dees was again in the spotlight for the wrong reasons amid accusations from former club doctor Zeeshan Arain of secret drug test cover ups.
Gawn has previously stressed all the club can control is how it performs on field – and so far its passing that test with flying colours.
“It’s amazing, this group has just got so much character. It feels like when we face adversity, we sort of relish it. We don’t want to be in the (media) for all the bad reasons, but we just sort of take it on,” May said.
“We know we have each other and our backs are against the wall. We’re blue collar the way we go about – we’re a contested team and defensive team – we’re probably not the sexy, offensive team you guys like watching.
“Ive played for a long time not winning a lot of games. Neither did Max (Gawn) or Jack Viney, all these senior boys went through the hard times.
“We’re trying to stress to the rest of the group: ‘Hey guys, this isn’t how easy it is, this isn’t what it’s like. You don’t win this many games every season. It might be taken away from you pretty soon’.
“We can’t do anything about the media, they’re going to report on what they hear. All we can do is train hard, stay connected, not fracture as a group and put our identity on show and play our brand of footy.”
As special as winning his first premiership in Perth was, May still has one clear goal – winning another one at the MCG
“That’s still there, it’s the big one,” he said.
“No doubt we loved winning the flag in Perth and it was the greatest experience of my life. But all those fans who sat at home during Covid and went through all the hard times, we’re saying to them: ‘We’re going to try and bring one back here’.
“That must be hard for them. They just watched us go out in straight sets two years in a row and they still turn up and buy their memberships. That’s probably the biggest carrot.”
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