‘Come on, let’s go’: What police have been told about AFL stars’ Sorrento brawl

AFL star Steven May has been accused of participating in a wild street brawl in Sorrento which left a young electrician needing surgery on a damaged eye, police have been told.

Richmond’s Dion Prestia also allegedly participated in the fight over the Christmas holiday period involving about a dozen men after the two groups earlier exchanged words at a local pub.

Will Salter in hospital after the Sorrento fight.

Will Salter, 22, gave a statement to detectives at Rosebud, and has provided The Age with his account of the violent altercation in the early hours of December 27.

Another man, a 25-year-old from Blairgowrie, was also injured in the fight and has given his version of events to this masthead. The man, who asked not to be identified on the advice of his lawyer, confirmed he would assist police with their investigation.

Salter and his friend both accuse Melbourne defender May of participating in the fight, while also claiming midfielder Prestia took part in the incident on Point Nepean Road.

The Age does not suggest the allegations are true, but that police have received an official complaint that is now the subject of an investigation.

The police statement names Steven May as being involved.Credit: Getty Images

Another female witness, who asked not to be identified because she is still traumatised by the incident, confirmed the two premiership players were part of a group that allegedly assaulted Salter and his friend.

“May has said something like ‘well look who it is?’ when he approached the victims after leaving the Continental Hotel. He just came straight for Will’s friend. They shook each other a bit, and all of a sudden, the fight broke out,” the woman said.

“I’ve never witnessed anything like this in my life. I was screaming. I genuinely thought they were both going to die.”

The woman confirmed she was assisting the police investigation and is expected to provide a witness statement.

Richmond midfielder Dion Prestia.Credit: Justin McManus

May and Prestia had been celebrating a bucks’ party at the Sorrento Hotel earlier in the evening, while Salter and his friends, who all live on the Mornington Peninsula, were catching up for dinner at the same venue.

Both groups moved to the Continental Hotel about 11pm.

However, when Salter and three friends left the hotel, widely known as “The Conti”, about 1.20am, they claim they encountered May, Prestia and their group on the road.

“There were words between my group and the other group for a bit ... then I saw Steven May yelling and screaming, ‘come on, let’s go’, and then I saw him punch (my friend) to the face and then it was on,” Salter said in his police statement made on January 23.

Salter in hospital.

“Whilst I was on the ground, I was kicked multiple times to the back of the head, and all over, but I couldn’t see who was doing this as I was trying to protect my face.”

An apprentice electrician, Salter has been unable to work since the incident after sustaining a broken eye socket, detached retina and fractured nose. He was taken to The Alfred hospital following the attack, and required surgery on January 14 to repair the extensive damage around his left eye.

Salter’s friend, who was also injured in the fight, was taken to The Alfred after suffering from seizures, low blood pressure and damage to his knee.

This masthead does not suggest his injuries were caused by May or Prestia, who have both previously insisted they were not responsible.

The 25-year-old said he was certain the brawl had erupted after he and May began grappling.

“We’d already had words at the Sorrento Hotel, which was when someone told me he was an AFL footballer,” he said.

“There were definitely eight to 10 blokes against us. I remember running away down a path and someone chasing me. I don’t know who it was, but I was found unconscious near a bush.”

The area where the fight occurred is not covered by closed-circuit television cameras.

A Victoria Police spokesman confirmed the matter was the subject of an ongoing investigation.

Richmond Football Club declined to comment. A Melbourne club spokesperson said: “It is the role of police to check the veracity of any complaint, and we will assist where required.”

May and Prestia both began their AFL careers at the Gold Coast Suns before they were traded to Melbourne and Richmond on lucrative long-term contracts.

May, who has been twice selected in the All-Australian squad, was a key defender in the Demons’ premiership team in 2021.

Prestia has been a star midfielder with Richmond since his trade in 2016 and a premiership player in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

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