‘You usually play in the twos’: Fresh details emerge on Melbourne Demons brawl

New details have emerged on the fight between two Demons teammates, which was reportedly sparked by a pair of childish sledges.

Joel Smith of the Demons, Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images

New details have emerged on the fight between Melbourne Demons teammates Steven May and Jake Melksham, which was reportedly sparked by a pair of sledges aimed at defender Joel Smith.

On Thursday, the AFL announced that the league’s integrity department had opened an inquiry into the concerning incident, which took place at Prahran restaurant Entrecote on Sunday.

Watch every blockbuster AFL match this weekend Live & Ad-Break Free In-Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

“No matter what the situation or circumstances, violence is never the answer,” the league said in a statement.

“As professional footballers, as people, we expect better and while the club has taken the matter extremely seriously, the AFL is currently conducting its own investigation.”

Melksham has since undergone surgery on his hand, which is believed to have become infected from punching May in the mouth.

May was handed a club-imposed one-match ban for drinking while sidelined by concussion, while both players will have to complete community service.

According to The Herald Sun, the fight erupted after May told Melksham: “If you had have played in the granny (grand final) we would have lost.”

The News Corp publication reported that May was “having a crack at almost every one of his teammates” and “one of the things that upset Melksham clearly, as the insults went around the table, was a bake which Joel Smith copped”.

Smith, a defender on the fringe of Melbourne’s team, was cruelly ruled out of the Demons’ preliminary final win last year after he tweaked his hamstring at training.

Meanwhile, May was praised for playing through injury in the grand final win despite suffering a serious hamstring tear in the preliminary final.

Speaking to 3AW’s Sportsday on Friday, AFL reporter Sam McClure detailed how the fight was ignited by a series of lighthearted jabs at Smith.

“There was a comment when they sat down which was made to Joel Smith saying, ‘This (dinner) is the best thing you’ve done all year’, made tongue in cheek,” he said.

“Then a different teammate to the person who made the first comment stepped in and said, ‘I’ll go further than that, it’s the best thing you did since you were injured in the final,’ because (Smith’s injury) opened doors for other players to come in (and play in the grand final).

“That’s where Jake Melksham said to pull (the comments) back and it’s there where Steven May took umbrage with the Jake Melksham comment and basically said, ‘How would you know (how we talk to each other), you usually play in the twos’.”

Steven May of the Demons. Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Speaking to reporters about the incident, Melbourne captain Max Gawn denied the club had intentionally mislead the media after the story broke on Tuesday.

“We’re not going to dance around the bush here – he obviously injured it in the altercation with Steven,” Gawn said.

“I don’t think we ever mislead you with that information – we just said it was an altercation.

“Stuff was done and Melky’s hurt his hand from it. He’s gone in and got it cleaned out.

“You’re never going to report an injury until you know all the facts.

“We’re not going to come out yesterday and say, ‘We think he’s got a sore hand, we’re not sure’. Today we know he’s got a sore hand. That’s why the injury gets reported as we do.

“We’re not misleading, that’s when the facts were dealt to us.

“There’s a lot more than just seeing a surgeon, there’s X-rays, an MRI, our own club doctors; there’s a lot going on.

“It’s the same if I hurt my knee – I’m going to see different specialists, different surgeons, different doctors to get the right aspect. We could say, ‘Oh, he maybe might have a sore hand’ – that’s just pointless. We’re telling you now he’s got a sore hand.”

Meanwhile, Gawn rubbished suggestions that the brawl was sparked by a grand final sledge.

“To be fair, it was a lot of banter. The one (quote) that’s got out is completely false,” he said.

“I do want to get that out there. Because that looks bad on characters – that wasn’t said … There was some other hurtful banter that was there.”

Jake Melksham of the Demons. Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Former Melbourne footballer Jordan Lewis suggested the incident proves there is a divide at the Demons between those who won premiership medals and those who didn’t.

“As soon as you win a premiership, there is an automatic divide in the football club – whether you like it or not,” he told Fox Footy’s AFL 360.

“Being involved in a club and being one of those players that was lucky enough to have success, it would have been a line that I would never have said to another teammate.

“That’s going to be pretty tough for Mayzie to get over.

“If it’s stuff where a player was out drinking and he’s mucked up, you forgive that player and forget. But those personal attacks that would have happened at the dinner are hard to get over.”

It’s not the first time May has been hit by a teammate in an alcohol-fuelled incident.

The 30-year-old broke his jaw when then-Gold Coast Suns teammate Campbell Brown punched May during a trip to Los Angeles in 2013.

The Demons will have to contend without the All-Australian defender when they take on Collingwood in the Queen’s Birthday clash at the MCG on Monday.

Originally published as ‘You usually play in the twos’: Fresh details emerge on Melbourne Demons brawl