Melbourne defender Steven May has been fined by the AFL’s match review officer for staging.
The Dees star has been under fire since Saturday night when he appeared to exaggerate a head injury after being claimed in a tackle by North Melbourne’s Eddie Ford.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Steven May receives a free kick for a dangerous tackle.
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For that, May has been slapped with a $1875 fine, which can be reduced to $1250 with an early guilty plea.
Under the AFL’s official guidelines, staging can include — but is not limited to — excessive exaggeration of contact in an unsportsmanlike manner.
It can be a reportable offence as it may “affect umpires’ decision-making, incite a melee and/or not be in the spirit of the game”.
Gold Coast forward Ben Ainsworth and Essendon captain Zach Merrett were fined for staging last year, but they are rare cases. On average, only a couple are handed out per year.
Ford laid what looked like a fair tackle, but the pair spun around together before May crashed into the turf.
The star defender immediately grabbed his head, which may have had an impact on the umpire, who took his time before eventually paying a dangerous tackle free kick.
May was slow to get up, but ultimately unbothered and comfortably took his kick to a chorus of boos from angry North fans.
Replays showed May’s head barely hit the ground and it was mainly his shoulder that absorbed the impact.
“It was perplexing for me. It wasn’t paid early. The umpire really held onto it and didn’t pay it when the motion was made,” Essendon great Jobe Watson said in commentary.
Former Melbourne captain Nathan Jones agreed it shouldn’t have been a free kick.
“It’s not a free kick for mine, I don’t think there’s a genuine slinging, dumping motion. Obviously they are twisting, but I feel like his shoulder touched the ground first,” he said.
Former AFLW star and Channel 7 commentator Kate McCarthy said May’s actions were an “awful look”.
“Exactly what we are hoping not to see from players. Making their head hit the ground, then clutching at it. Umpires have a hard enough job, don’t be doing this crap,” she said.
West Coast premiership player Will Schofield offered a potential solution.
“Players holding their head after a ‘dangerous tackle’ should be immediately sent off the ground for assessment — whether they are faking or not,” he said.
A fan added on social media: “That’s embarrassing from Steven May! Deserves to cop a massive fine and all the heat that comes his way.”
