A fracture in Steven May’s throat has resulted in the skilled Melbourne defender being sidelined for his team’s season opener against GWS, just moments before the match commenced on Sunday.
Tom McDonald stepped in for May in the Demons’ lineup for the clash at the MCG, while No.6 draft pick Harvey Langford was named as Melbourne’s substitute.
May sustained a fractured larynx, commonly referred to as the voice box, after taking a hit during training at Casey Fields on Friday.
“At this point, our medical team does not consider the injury to be as severe as the one Max Gawn experienced earlier in the year,” said Demons football chief Alan Richardson.
“We will conduct a further assessment of Steven next week, which will provide us with a clearer understanding of his recovery timeline.”
Gawn, the inspirational captain and ruckman for Melbourne, also fractured his larynx following a blow to the throat during training in December.
The seven-time All-Australian was forced to miss a month of full training.
Meanwhile, GWS will be aiming for consecutive victories following their commanding 52-point win over Collingwood in Sydney last week.

Steven May of the Demons. Getty
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
Fanpage:Â SportArena.com.au.
LiveScore – Live Sports Results & Odds.