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Melbourne defender Stephen May was fined by the AFL match review officer for staging.
The Dees star has been under fire since Saturday night when he appeared to be exaggerating a head injury after being tackled by North Melbourne’s Eddie Ford.
WATCH ABOVE: Steven May is awarded a free kick for a dangerous tackle.
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For this, May was sentenced to a fine of $1,875, which can be reduced to $1,250 with an early guilty plea.
Under the AFL’s official guidelines, staging can include — but is not limited to — excessively exaggerating contact in an unsportsmanlike manner.
This may be a reportable offense as it may “influence referee decision-making, incite a melee and/or be unsportsmanlike”.
Gold Coast forward Ben Ainsworth and Essendon captain Zach Merrett were fined for staging last year, but those are rare cases. On average, only a couple are given out per year.
Ford made what looked like a fair attempt, but the two spun together before May crashed into the grass.
The star defender immediately grabbed his head, which may have swayed the referee, who took his time, before eventually taking a dangerous free-kick.
May was slow to his feet, but ultimately unfazed and comfortably took his kick to a chorus of boos from angry North fans.
Replays showed that May’s head barely hit the ground and it was mainly his shoulder that took the impact.
“It was confusing for me. Not paid early. The umpire really held it and didn’t pay it when the offer was made,” Essendon great Jobe Watson said on commentary.
Former Melbourne captain Nathan Jones agreed it should not have been a free-kick.
“It’s not a free-kick for me, I don’t think there’s a real throw-in, throw-in. Obviously they’re twisting, but I feel like his shoulder hit the ground first,” he said.
Former AFLW star and Channel 7 commentator Kate McCarthy said May’s actions were a “horrible sight”.
“Exactly what we hope not to see from the players. To make their heads hit the ground, then cling to it. Judges have a hard enough job, don’t do this nonsense,” she said.
West Coast senior Will Schofield offered a potential solution.
“Players who hold their heads after a ‘dangerous match’ should be immediately sent off the ground for assessment – whether they are faking or not,” he said.
A fan added on social media: “This is embarrassing from Stephen May! He deserves to take a huge fine and all the heat that comes his way.”
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