AFL: Former Melbourne Demons captain Nathan Jones reveals ‘hurt’ he felt on hearing Steven May’s drunken sledge

The fallout from the drunken Steven May-Jake Melksham incident continues, with a former Melbourne skipper revealing his reaction.

Former Demons skipper Nathan Jones was offended by Steven May’s barb towards Joel Smith. Picture: Michael Klein

Former Melbourne captain Nathan Jones says he took offence at under-fire Demon Steven May’s comments that sparked his physical fight with teammate Jake Melksham.

A drunken May was at the centre of an incident last week at Prahran restaurant Entrecote, where a number of Melbourne footballers were out for dinner.

May delivered a cruel sledge at Joel Smith, who missed out on last year’s drought-busting premiership after suffering a hamstring injury, before Melksham stepped in.

What started as a verbal exchange between May and Melksham spilled outside and fought, with the latter requiring hand surgery as a result of the altercation.

Jones, who played 302 games for the club, was the highest-profile Demon to miss out on playing in the grand final after being their best player throughout many dark days.

“I’ll be brutally honest, as soon as I heard that, without even having spoken to anyone, I absolutely took offence,” Jones told SEN.

Steven May is out of Monday’s clash with Collingwood after being suspended for his involvement in a alcohol-fuelled incident. Picture: Getty Images

“I was there, I lived it, and I was like, ‘Oh, surely not’.

“It hurt me … you can only imagine, I don’t know how many boys were there on the night, but, say, there are two or three who didn’t play and that infiltrating back into the group of the 20-odd guys that didn’t play as well.”

Jones said there was a “danger” of the incident placing a wedge between the players who did and didn’t play in the premiership triumph but he hoped the situation could be addressed.

“Steve had done a lot of work to build himself into the position he’s in and, as a lot of us know, when you’re trying to change perception, you can take 50 steps forward and one step back,” he said.

“So there will be an element of him having to earn the boys’ trust and stuff again and he’ll have some work to do, no doubt.

“But ultimately I don’t think it plays a significant part culturally as to where the team ends up going.”

Jake Melksham (left) and Max Gawn chair off Nathan Jones last year after his 300th game for Melbourne. Picture: Michael Klein

A major driver in Melbourne’s success was the transformation of the club culture and a commitment to being selfless on and off the field, which was what disappointed Jones most about May’s actions.

“It flies in the face of everything the club has tried to embed and stands for over the last few years,” Jones added.

“Ultimately I would anticipate, having not spoken directly to the leadership group … they would be livid at this situation.

“Steve being in the leadership group and completely going against club medical rules, but also essentially team rules … I can only imagine the frustration and disappointment among those boys.”

May copped a one-match ban for drinking alcohol while still under concussion protocols, while Melksham is unavailable as he recovers from his hand infection.