Max Gawn explains clash with Steven May after King’s Birthday clash defeat to Collingwood

Max Gawn’s last-gasp error cost the Demons a chance at victory — and Steven May was involved in a fiery chat after the loss. Hear from the Melbourne captain and Simon Goodwin here.

Melbourne captain Max Gawn has explained his emotional shove of teammate Steven May after being berated by his veteran teammate, saying both Demons were desperate to win the King’s Birthday clash.

May was widely condemned for going to Gawn to yell at him on the final siren after the All Australian’s skewed kick landed with Will Hoskin Elliott as he desperately attempted to win the game.

The Demons were deep in the back pocket and had to launch a high-risk play but instead they let slip a King’s Birthday clash by a single point to arch rival Collingwood.

Gawn’s reaction to May was understandable given he had done so much to try to win the game for the Demons, with his 33-year-old teammate always wearing his heart on his sleeve.

See how the game played out below in our blog.

Max Gawn clashes with Steven May

Post-match Gawn said he had been told to play on despite not moving off his mark, which led to his shanked kick and May’s verbal response to him.

“He wants to win as much as all of us and it was a disappointing last 30 seconds,” he said.

“We just both want to win and I am not exactly sure what actually happened. It was very loud in the crowd but we both want to win and it was a disappointing last 30 seconds in the way we lost. I thought it was weird I got called to play on.

“I didn’t think I really moved. And they called me to play on and then a ruckman kicking in the back pocket gets called to play on. Maysey just wants to win and he holds us all to high standards. It was too loud for me to even know (what he said).

“I didn’t realise the cameras were on us but it obviously was caught. Is that play genuinely going to get us a win? It’s a pretty tough place to get us a goal.

A dejected Max Gawn looks on after the game. Picture: Getty Images

“I got called to play on and was under pressure and I am presuming all six backs and all six mids and all six forwards were unhappy it landed in Hoskin Elliott’s lap.”

Coach Simon Goodwin told Fox Footy post match he had spoken to both players about their version of events and was sure they would quickly move on.

“I spoke to both of them, they are passionate. A little bit of feedback to one another and they are fine, they have moved on. (They are) both passionate about winning, you don’t want to have that look on field but that’s the way they operate. They are pretty strong with each other.”

Gawn said he had to take responsibility for an earlier missed snap as the Demons at one stage led Collingwood before they were mowed down.

“(It’s) more along the lines of we lost a game by a point, we were leading by a point in the last quarter, we had a couple of shots. Bayley (Fritsch), Koltyn (Tholstrup) and myself and ‘Melky’ (Jake Melksham) all had one late. That is the disappointing part.

When you take a mark in the back pocket with 30 seconds left, you are two per cent chance to win.”

“But the game was pretty hot early and we were clean. We saw the evolution of Trent (Rivers) as a midfielder, Xavier (Lindsay) and Harvey (Langford) on the wings, for Melksham to play on Darcy Moore with Billy Frampton and (Jeremy) Howe dropping off, there were a lot of two on ones. I felt if we had won the game it would have been because of Melky. The kids are going well, but so are the old ones.”

Originally published as Max Gawn explains clash with Steven May after King’s Birthday clash defeat to Collingwood