Just now, Demon Dynasty said:

Suspension!???

Surely a fine and/or community service or whatever would suffice.

More than likely just handed the match to the Pies and possibly a top four spot if it gets tight at the top from here.

Crazy decision IMV that, as you say Macca, punishes the team more than the player.

The filth will all be jumping for joy as we type.  Expect less Demons to turn up also given it hampers our chances of winning.  You know how fickle our lot are (bar most of the rusted on minions here). 

A heavier fine ($10k - $15k) would have fixed things but a $5k maximum fine (PA CBA agreement) almost forces those imparting the punishment to go heavier ... which ends up being a suspension

Community service is also part of it but is that strictly adhered to? 

We are in the business of trying to win the only prize on offer (the Premiership) and every Home & Away win increases your chances of winning the big one ... and any loss lessens the chances

You do not want to be playing a prelim final against Brisbane, Fremantle or Sydney as the away team

And you don't get many chances at the top as us supporters know full well ... we are in our window and the time to win big is right now

May had to cop a sanction for breaking protocols but suspended? Not for mine

As for the actual fight, it doesn't look like he threw the first punch and in that situation you might feel inclined to fight back for fear of more fists coming your way.  Jake might have wanted to go in for a bit more.  Who knows in that sort of chaos?

But we don't know the full story so my opinion is just that, an opinion

I wouldn't have suspended him on what we currently know to be true (breaking concussion protocols)

5 minutes ago, Spaghetti said:

What the [censored] happened to this club all of a sudden.

It's not the losses. Something has been off for over a month.

Because the crowds have been so poor at our games, the club assumed everyone was bored with our 10-0 start, and strong culture. 

so the last couple of weeks has been a plan from the marketing/PR departments to see if we can get 80k to the game on Mon 

 

3 minutes ago, DemonWA said:

I've heard plenty of banter that goes below the belt. There is never an excuse to get violent though. Can't believe May is the bad guy here

IMO it is because he is a good player who we miss, milkshake is no longer a senior player and won’t be missed. 

8 minutes ago, DemonWA said:

I've heard plenty of banter that goes below the belt. There is never an excuse to get violent though. Can't believe May is the bad guy here

Not to mention punching a guy recovering from a concussion...

I can't believe it was kept a secret until today. In the world of phones and social media I can't believe footage hasn't surfaced. But I bet the likes of Tom Browne are hunting for footage. 

I believe that this situation is inexcusable having teammates squabbling and striking each other in public when we are on the second biggest mission in their lives to date. Particularly two senior players who should have more sense, having said that I thought that Steven Mays apology and acceptance of the one week ban was made with humility and acceptance that it was a serious disruption to the team, Stevens has promised to workharder to help the team over the next 10 - 12 weeks. He knows he has let his teammates and us supporters down. Let’s judge his response over the remainder of the year.!!

I wonder what Goodwin first thought when he was told about this. 

I bet Roffey just wants to hang there heads together and say you idiots grow up.

Gee to think back a few years ago when roosy was in charge & the biggest problem he had was when trac hurt his knee playing basketball when he was recovering from his knee injury.

Apparently max is speaking tomorrow. He'd feel letdown. He always said may was the player we could least afford to lose

 

Edited June 7, 20222 yr by dees189227

D'landers thinking of QB before and after the boozy bash up news....

4 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

I wonder what Goodwin first thought when he was told about this. 

I bet Roffey just wants to hang there heads together and say you idiots grow up.

Gee to think back a few years ago when roosy was in charge & the biggest problem he had was when trac hurt his knee playing basketball when he was recovering from his knee injury.

Apparently max is speaking tomorrow. 

 

Do you know which platform?

29 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

I can't believe it was kept a secret until today. In the world of phones and social media I can't believe footage hasn't surfaced. But I bet the likes of Tom Browne are hunting for footage. 

IMO it's only a matter of time until footage leaks. I would be shocked if there isn't footage from someone

Sounds like it might have been more than one punch, according to the restaurant. No doubt there will be some vision and more detail coming out when the press dig deeper into their pockets.

If May said what has been reported, it was cheap and about as low as you can go with a team mate. That he was drinking when he should not have been speaks volumes.

However, posters saying a punch by Melk was justified should spend a Sat night in a hospital ER. A single punch can kill. A punch delivered by a once talented amo boxer with a few drinks under his belt even more so. Not to mention May's concussion

Its dumb all round

Edited June 7, 20222 yr by Stiff Arm

5 minutes ago, Stiff Arm said:

Sounds like it might have been more than one punch, according to the restaurant. No doubt there will be some vision and more detail coming out when the press dig deeper into their pockets.

If May said what has been reported, it was cheap and about as low as you can go with a team mate. That he was drinking when he should not have been speaks volumes.

However, posters saying a punch by Melk was justified should spend a Sat night in a hospital ER. A single punch can kill. A punch delivered by a once talented amo boxer with a few drinks under his belt even more so. Not to mention May's concussion

Its dumb all round

Just reading Melksham threw a punch shuddered me. I mean I don't want to be dramatic but what if he hit may in the wrong spot or may fell & hit his head? Anyway lets hope we don't have to read about these incidents again

I heard that May told Melksham that if he had played in the GF we wouldn’t have won and that started the fight.

The most disappointing part about all this is how far removed their behavior is from the culture we have worked so hard to build from top to bottom. 
Inexcusable garbage from two guys who are old enough to know better. 

3 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

The most disappointing part about all this is how far removed their behavior is from the culture we have worked so hard to build from top to bottom. 
Inexcusable garbage from two guys who are old enough to know better. 

Being able to play football well it does not necessarily make you a rocket scientist.

1 hour ago, Demonland said:

 

So now Entrecote think they have a steak in this fight huh?

I don't find the comment by May that bad. We won by 74 points so it's clearly illogical and I would find it hard to take offense (trying to put myself in Melk's place). If May had said - you were too sht of a player to get a game in the granny - that would sting as it is true

I wonder what Melksham's last barb to May was.

Either way, Melksham had zero justification to punch him

And again … let’s not forget 

24 minutes ago, John Crow Batty said:

I heard that May told Melksham that if he had played in the GF we wouldn’t have won and that started the fight.

Yeah that's the latest report.  Was it just taking the [censored] out of his mate sledge or had a bit more malice in it?  Either way May is a good judge of football ability in terms of success :)

Missing must really burn in Melksham which is fair enough, but what has be shown in his games this year to keep his spot.  From what I can see on TV telecast, he still doesn't do the hard work required by the team.  

  

1 minute ago, Darkhorse72 said:

Yeah that's the latest report.  Was it just taking the [censored] out of his mate sledge or had a bit more malice in it?  Either way May is a good judge of football ability in terms of success :)

Missing must really burn in Melksham which is fair enough, but what has be shown in his games this year to keep his spot.  From what I can see on TV telecast, he still doesn't do the hard work required by the team.  

  

It’s all irrelevant. Melksham is his teammate. You don’t burn your teammate like that. It’s disrespectful and such a poor way to lead as a senior player. 
Likewise you don’t punch on or resort to violence. Ever. 
I can’t see how this occurred if both of them were stone cold sober either. 
 

Jon Ralph actually wrote a pretty decent article bringing all the bits together from the week - form, injuries, Bartlett texts, Melksham v May etc - and he finished with this:

So here is the message for Melbourne: sharpen up and get it together.

Good clubs smarten up and strip away the distractions.

Clubs who cannot do that spend the next decade like Collingwood, wondering whether the Mick Malthouse succession dramas of 2011 had enough of an impact to derail them.

In 2015 Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge blew .068 in a drink-drive controversy and six weeks later the Hawks were premiers.

In 2007 Steve Johnson didn’t play AFL until round 7 given a club-imposed ban and 20 games later was the Norm Smith Medallist in a Grand Final victory.

In 2020 Richmond looked to self-immolating in a hub amid fallout between Trent Cotchin and the senior hierarchy as kebab-shop punch-ons were the order of the day.

Months later Richmond won a third premiership in four seasons.

Distractions don’t have to define football clubs.

They can be valuable lessons that recalibrate a player or a team or club.

Melbourne is still the most talented team in football, but it is far from invincible.

There’s no better stage than Queens Birthday, against a white-hot Collingwood side and without their All Australian defensive star in May, to start that march back to respectability.

 

I know this will not go away for a while but I will put my coaches hat on and say it happened, sometimes poop happens, can't change that. Now let's get on with the season starting Monday with a convincing win against the Pies and all will be good for the rest of the season.

1 hour ago, CYB said:

Do you know which platform?

No, I'm assuming just talking from training

21 minutes ago, Lord Nev said:

Jon Ralph actually wrote a pretty decent article bringing all the bits together from the week - form, injuries, Bartlett texts, Melksham v May etc - and he finished with this:

So here is the message for Melbourne: sharpen up and get it together.

Good clubs smarten up and strip away the distractions.

Clubs who cannot do that spend the next decade like Collingwood, wondering whether the Mick Malthouse succession dramas of 2011 had enough of an impact to derail them.

In 2015 Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge blew .068 in a drink-drive controversy and six weeks later the Hawks were premiers.

In 2007 Steve Johnson didn’t play AFL until round 7 given a club-imposed ban and 20 games later was the Norm Smith Medallist in a Grand Final victory.

In 2020 Richmond looked to self-immolating in a hub amid fallout between Trent Cotchin and the senior hierarchy as kebab-shop punch-ons were the order of the day.

Months later Richmond won a third premiership in four seasons.

Distractions don’t have to define football clubs.

They can be valuable lessons that recalibrate a player or a team or club.

Melbourne is still the most talented team in football, but it is far from invincible.

There’s no better stage than Queens Birthday, against a white-hot Collingwood side and without their All Australian defensive star in May, to start that march back to respectability.

 

That’s strangely good journalism from Ralphy - wonder how our old mate Morris would have run with this. 

Edited June 7, 20222 yr by CYB

1 hour ago, DemonWA said:

I've heard plenty of banter that goes below the belt. There is never an excuse to get violent though. Can't believe May is the bad guy here

Not defending Melksham. I’m explaining why that is more than ‘banter’ and why it wouldn’t be tolerated in our culture.