39 minutes ago, JJJ said:

It’s not that he’s not wanted. If we were willing to pick up some of his contract he’d be gone.

Surely he's not on more than $600k. That's easily digested by most clubs and I suspect he'd take 2 x $400k from a new club.

Something needs to be done with our "contracts" process. There's just too many bad deals.

Where is the US style buyout option?

He’s on a good deal.

No club would give him another season either.

I’m glad he’s staying. I still like him. He’s nowhere near the level he was but I appreciate the effort.

21 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

Surely he's not on more than $600k. That's easily digested by most clubs and I suspect he'd take 2 x $400k from a new club.

Something needs to be done with our "contracts" process. There's just too many bad deals.

not sure any club would offer 2 year deal with Father time knocking on his door

Get him to play lockdown and he'll still be a very good player for us.

May, Turner, Petty, Lever, TMac and Adams leaves us stacked for KPDs though. Can probably play 3 at AFL level and 3 at Casey. I'd still prefer only 2 to play at once though.

1 minute ago, Adam The God said:

Get him to play lockdown and he'll still be a very good player for us.

May, Turner, Petty, Lever, TMac and Adams leaves us stacked for KPDs though. Can probably play 3 at AFL level and 3 at Casey. I'd still prefer only 2 to play at once though.

I don't consider Turner or Lever to be KPDs. More your third tall, intercepting types. Adams still has the training wheels on.

There's still a place for a reinvigorated May. This episode might be the kick in the butt he needs to get himself right

Maybe if he were to swear off alcohol and get super fit over the pre-season, but we all know he ain’t giving up the beers anytime soon.

There’s what Steven May expects of his team mates, then there’s the standards that he sets for himself. Hypocrite.

Like many posters here, May was still valuable through 2025, playing key tiles on main key forwards but was inconsistent and starting to get caught out more and more. Time is catching up with him and it’s been viewed that we need to see what Adams can offer. Happy though to keep May for 2026 under contract.

1 hour ago, Go the Biff said:

I don't consider Turner or Lever to be KPDs. More your third tall, intercepting types. Adams still has the training wheels on.

There's still a place for a reinvigorated May. This episode might be the kick in the butt he needs to get himself right

And we've already signalled that we want to play Turner and Lever in the same side, so they'll be playing KPD roles.

If you take Geelong's set up, they play three KPDs, including Stewart as the bigger interceptor.

I'd prefer we play Turner, Lever and Petty, but maybe it's a week by week proposition.

Some of you are forgetting that he doesn’t have much control over his form anymore. In 2025 I can recall Tom Lynch, Georgiadis and Gunston giving him the run around and I’m sure there were more. He simply can’t keep up anymore, it happens. He’s about to turn 34, and it’s not going to get any easier for him. There’s a reason no club wanted him, he’s extremely close to cooked.

Perhaps we can find a role for him in a Hibberd style role, or even up forward, but he has one year left and it’s not going to be as the club’s premier defender.

Still a handy backup when someone inevitably gets injured

The last two games of the year were completely different to earlier in the year and he lost mobility. Hopefully he can get it back again over summer. The difference between May being a very good player and past it are not far apart.

3 hours ago, NeveroddoreveN said:

Massive wake up call for him.

He seems a pretty smart guy and would know he needs to pull his head in, and get to work at proving people wrong.

Very talented footballer, but smart guy?

Gets into drunken fisticuffs with a teammate, in a public place, whilst under concussion protocols where you’re not supposed to drink. Smart?

Edited 18 hours ago18 hr by TRIGON

9 minutes ago, TRIGON said:

Very talented footballer, but smart guy?

Gets into drunken fisticuffs with a teammate, in a public place, whilst under concussion protocols where you’re not supposed to drink. Smart?

I think that happened Once in his football career around four years ago TRIGON, when he first came to the club he was drinking whilst injured, had told Max off when he kicked across goal and the pies marked it and kicked the winning goal and he was talking during the team debrief. Non of these are hanging offences, I think that we are not being fair to one of our best defenders in the past seven years and 127 of his 250 games. Grrrrr…!!

27 minutes ago, TRIGON said:

Very talented footballer, but smart guy?

Gets into drunken fisticuffs with a teammate, in a public place, whilst under concussion protocols where you’re not supposed to drink. Smart?

You have clearly never made bad decisions....

I will double down and say he at least sounds smart, and is articulate.

It is a massive wake up call for him.

I also believe we will see a much better version of him in 2026....Encouraging team mates, not yelling at them. He has consistently been in the leadership group with us. Expect him to act like a leader when dealing with some adversity or criticism.

The players are given very clear instructions and education on concussion management. He blatantly disregarded it. Not smart.

5 hours ago, Adam The God said:

Get him to play lockdown and he'll still be a very good player for us.

May, Turner, Petty, Lever, TMac and Adams leaves us stacked for KPDs though. Can probably play 3 at AFL level and 3 at Casey. I'd still prefer only 2 to play at once though.

Leaves us stacked with b, c, d and f graders.

2 hours ago, Fat Tony said:

The last two games of the year were completely different to earlier in the year and he lost mobility. Hopefully he can get it back again over summer. The difference between May being a very good player and past it are not far apart.

I hope so too—considering he’s more than likely not going anywhere. I noticed more towards the end of the season, and it must have been an away game because I was sitting right behind the goal with the Demon Army, that he definitely looked like he’s lost mobility and looked a bit cooked. When they told him to look for a new club, my first thought was that I wish he’d retired. Yes, he has had some issues, but when he was fit and on—-he was a huge factor in us winning. If I were him, I’d use this as a way to get me to my best. Spite is a great motivator as awful as that sounds. When someone tells me I can’t do something, or has no faith in me, I’ll put everything in it to prove them wrong.

Regardless, hopefully at the end of the season if he’s in the shape he was this year, he retires. I’d imagine playing through injury shortens players careers, and listening to him talk about the Grand Final, I imagine that’s not the only game he played with an injury severe enough that he should’ve been managed.

Edited 15 hours ago15 hr by 710 Asbury St
spelling

6 hours ago, buck_nekkid said:

Imagine the impact on your ego when you go to market and find no-one wants you??

That's what I was going to write. I reckon his ego has taken a bit of a hit & I wonder if it's given him a bit of a wake up call. If he comes back to us I wonder if his attitude will change

6 hours ago, Garbo said:

Still a handy backup when someone inevitably gets injured

can't believe i'm saying it, but he sure ain't no T-Mac!

4 hours ago, NeveroddoreveN said:

You have clearly never made bad decisions....

I will double down and say he at least sounds smart, and is articulate.

It is a massive wake up call for him.

I also believe we will see a much better version of him in 2026....Encouraging team mates, not yelling at them. He has consistently been in the leadership group with us. Expect him to act like a leader when dealing with some adversity or criticism.

3 hours ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

Leaves us stacked with b, c, d and f graders.

Who is the "F" Grader??

Assuming May ends up staying ...

You never completely write off a champion but May's skills below the knees really have deteriorated. And his commanding presence in the air is no longer a standout feature of his game

He'll get game time in the seniors because of injuries/form but we'll now have 2 veteran tall backmen as back-ups (with T-Mac)

But with the acquisition of Mihocek, perhaps May could be the back up 2nd key forward (if JVR doesn't fire)

Surpassing Jeffo & AJ as those 2 seem way off AFL standard. Kentfield? Who knows?

Edited 12 hours ago12 hr by Macca

10 hours ago, picket fence said:

Who is the "F" Grader??

You're right Fencie - I'm being harsh on the letter 'F'.

Lost pace, struggling to follow leads

Can't bend below knees, poor when the ball hits the ground

Fumbles

Gets lost in traffic, as seen vs Collingwood last game

Dropping simple chest marks that otherwise would've been gobbled up

Injured or suspended too often

Attitude on ground sets poor example to young backs

No longer has Goody's softly-softly support

I'd be ok if we paid $200k or $300k of his contract to get him to another club. In fact, it should be a list priority IMO