Appeals Board Rejects Melbourne's Bid to Overturn Rough Conduct Ban

Steven May will be sidelined for Melbourne's upcoming two matches after the AFL appeals board upheld his rough conduct suspension. The initial three-match ban was imposed by the tribunal following a collision during the Demons' July 19 loss to Carlton. The incident resulted in concussion, a broken nose, and a missing tooth for Carlton's Francis Evans.

May, who maintained his focus was solely on the ball, missed Sunday's game against St Kilda due to concussion. He will now also miss the games against West Coast and the Western Bulldogs. He was not present at the appeal hearing held on Monday night.

Melbourne's appeal centered on the argument that the tribunal had erred in law and that a reasonable tribunal would not have reached the same conclusion. The club's case, presented over an hour, focused on the unpredictability of the ball's bounce after a handball. They highlighted that the ball bounced four times, with the final bounce leading to the contact with Evans.

The Demons argued the tribunal expected an unrealistic level of anticipation from May regarding the ball's trajectory. They also contended the tribunal unfairly overlooked May's attempt to slow down, while noting Evans' movement to avoid contact.

The AFL representative countered that the tribunal's decision was reasonable. After a brief deliberation, the appeals board rejected Melbourne's appeal. The board concluded that May had a fair opportunity to present his case and that there was no procedural unfairness or unreasonableness in the tribunal's decision.

Melbourne's coach, Simon Goodwin, expressed May's disappointment with the initial decision. Goodwin also suggested the case would influence how players approach contests in the future, anticipating adjustments based on further guidance from the AFL.