‘Fuming’ Skipper Max Gawn in Fiery Exchange with Demons Teammate Following Close Defeat

An intense confrontation between Melbourne captain Max Gawn and key defender Steven May caught attention at the conclusion of their narrow one-point defeat to Collingwood.

With less than a minute remaining in the match, Gawn managed to take an intercept mark deep in defence. He was in a position where he needed to push forward quickly, giving the Demons a chance to come back and secure a victory.

However, in an unfortunate turn of events, he got too close to the man on the mark and misdirected a kick intended for the corridor. The ball landed squarely in the hands of Collingwood’s Will Hoskin-Elliott, effectively sealing the game.

As the final siren sounded, the cameras quickly shifted to a visibly frustrated Gawn, while May approached him, likely to comment on the misfired kick.

In a moment of tension, Gawn pushed May away and walked off the field.

Young teammate Daniel Turner appeared caught in the middle, attempting to console his captain.

This wasn’t the only instance of May’s strong words on that day, as he had previously addressed first-year player Xavier Lindsay after the latter conceded a 50-metre penalty during the match.

Former Richmond champion Matthew Richardson remarked that while he didn’t think much of the incident, he felt it could have been better timed.

“Gawn is aware he made a mistake there. He had to take a chance and get the ball moving fast; unfortunately, he mis-kicked it, and May clearly thought it could have been executed differently,” Richardson commented on 3AW.

“It probably wasn’t the right moment to approach Gawn. Waiting a little while would have been wise.”

“He was frustrated, and I wouldn’t read too much into it. Just choose a better time to talk to him; he’s still very upset.”

Veteran player Jake Lever explained that the situation was simply two passionate leaders expressing their frustrations.

“I wasn’t present, but from what I gather, it’s just two competitive individuals. Such things happen in the heat of the moment. Are you certain it wasn’t Steven yelling? I’ve been on the receiving end of a few of those myself,” Lever quipped during his appearance on 3AW.

“I’ll talk to both of them since they are good mates of mine. I’m sure it’s just the intensity of the last quarter, Gawn had the ball with 30 seconds left, and there might have been something related to that.”

After the incident, Gawn exited the ground, with reports from the Melbourne rooms indicating he briefly went deep into the back area, likely due to the disappointment of the tight loss.

Later that evening, he spoke with Channel Seven’s Mitch Cleary.

“We’re just two competitors who wanted to win. Regrettably, with 30 seconds left, I delivered the ball to Hoskin-Elliott, and I reckon all 17 of my teammates were quite frustrated with that decision,” he explained.

“We will resolve this between us, but not just yet. We’ve noted it, be assured.”

“I wasn’t thrilled about being called to play on in the first place. There wasn’t much I could do, to be honest.”

Reportedly, May was not keen to engage with journalists in the rooms when approached for comments.