AFL stars Steven May and Dion Prestia in hot water over buck’s party brawl

Police are investigating AFL premiership stars Steven May and Dion Prestia over an alleged brawl during the Christmas holiday period.

AFL premiership stars Steven May and Dion Prestia are in hot water over their alleged involvement in a brawl in Sorrento over the Christmas holiday period.

Victoria Police on Monday morning released a statement confirming a 33-year-old man from Mt Eliza (May) and a 32-year-old man from Hawthorn (Prestia), as well as a 26-year-old Blairgowrie man, had been interviewed in relation to a fight that broke out on streets near Sorrento’s Continental Hotel in December last year.

Police said they’d conducted the interviews after receiving a report “about a physical altercation between two groups of men on Point Nepean Road at about 2am”.

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Two men, as a result of the brawl, were taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries. One male claimed he was left with a broken eye socket, detached retina and fractured nose, while another man was injured.

May and Prestia were alleged to have been present at a brawl.

The former Suns teammates are reported to have been celebrating the buck’s party of a mutual friend at Hotel Sorrento on the evening of Boxing Day, before making their way collectively to the Continental Hotel just before midnight. It is there where the altercation they are alleged to have been involved in took place.

May and Prestia have both strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Dion Prestia (L) and Steven May (R) are set to be charged.

May’s club, Melbourne, provided multiple outlets with the following one-sentence statement after reports of the altercation surfaced: “It is the role of police to check the veracity of any complaint, and we will assist where required.”

Richmond has referred media back to its December statement, which read: “Prestia saw it happening but in no way was he involved. They weren’t involved in any physical altercation.”

Police in March acknowledged that an official report had been made and that investigations into the circumstances of the incident were ongoing.

On Monday, police confirmed the aforementioned trio were “expected to be charged on summons”, with 7News reporting the investigation had “ramped up” in recent weeks.

“Mornington Peninsula Crime Investigation Unit detectives have interviewed three men as part of their investigation into an affray in Sorrento on 27 December,” police said.

“The interviews follow a report to police.

There has been a police update on the situation involving May and others. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“Two men were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries at the time.

“A 32-year-old man from Hawthorn, a 33-year-old man from Mount Eliza and a 26-year-old Blairgowrie man have all been interviewed in relation to the incident.

“The trio are expected to be charged on summons.”

Sports reporter Tom Morris tweeted later on Monday that Victoria Police were set to retract an earlier statement that Prestia and May were set to be charged.

“Instead, it will be confirmed they’ve been released pending further enquiries,” Morris wrote on X.

“Doesn’t mean they won’t be charged eventually, but it isn’t imminent as suggested earlier today, according to police.”

Both Prestia and May began their AFL careers in 2011 at the Gold Coast Suns before returning to Victoria.

May was traded to the Demons after the 2018 season before earning back-to-back All-Australian selections and playing a key role in the Demons’ 2021 premiership.

Prestia joined Richmond ahead of the 2017 season then played in all three Tigers premiership sides while also claiming the 2019 best and fairest award.

Originally published as AFL stars Steven May and Dion Prestia in hot water over buck’s party brawl