AFL leaders Melbourne suspend Steven May after altercation with teammate

Reigning AFL premiers Melbourne have suspended star defender Steven May for the Queen’s birthday clash with Collingwood after the club said he and teammate Jake Melksham had an altercation with each other after drinking.

May and Melksham had a scuffle in Prahran on Sunday night at approximately 9pm, after dining with teammates earlier in the evening.

The club said the 30-year-old was not meant to be drinking as he was in concussion protocols and he has been suspended for one match by the club, ruling him out of the big clash with the Magpies.

The penalty comes three years after the former Gold Coast skipper avoided a club sanction for drinking while injured.

“Following a dinner on Sunday evening, Jake and Steven informed us of a scuffle that took place after a lighthearted disagreement between the pair escalated,” Melbourne general manager of football performance Alan Richardson said in a statement.

“Both Jake and Steven had been drinking at dinner and are incredibly remorseful that things played out the way they did. Given Steven is still under the AFL concussion protocols from round 11, he was aware that under club guidelines he should not have been drinking.

“The leadership group has recommended to impose a one-match ban on Steven, a decision which has been endorsed by the club’s broader leadership. This will make him unavailable for both AFL and VFL selection.”

The Demons have lost two games in a row, with May concussed against Fremantle and unavailable against Sydney. Melbourne have desperately missed star defender May but said they needed to stick to their standards.

“Over the past three years, Steven has developed into one of our most important on-field leaders, and while the impact of not having him available for