The brawl involving several of Melbourne‘s players is evidence of an “automatic divide” at the club spawning from last year’s premiership, according to Hawks great and former Demons teammate Jordan Lewis.
After a perfect 10-0 start to the season and a 17-game win streak, the reigning premiers’ season has taken a wicked turn for the worse in the last fortnight, both on and off the field.
Two straight losses to Fremantle and Sydney have been compounded by the altercation between premiership defender Steven May and Jake Melksham, and new reports have shed more light on the reasons that led to the clash between the pair.
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While it was initially believed that the disagreement was purely between May and Melksham, a report from The Age has revealed that Melksham stepped in to defend a teammate who had attracted the ire of the All-Australian defender.
According to the report, Melksham “challenged” May about his behaviour when May had sledged defender Joel Smith, who had organised the gathering at the Prahran restaurant, Entrecote. Smith missed last year’s grand final due to an injury he suffered in the qualifying final.
Melksham’s role as the attempted peacemaker, rather than the instigator, is why he was not handed a club-imposed suspension, despite sustaining an injury to his hand.
Four-time Hawthorn premiership star Jordan Lewis, who was a teammate of both May and Melksham’s in his final season, explained how problems can arise at a club in the year following a premiership win.
“As soon as you win a premiership, there is an automatic divide in the football club – whether you like it or not,” Lewis told Fox Footy’s AFL360.
“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.”
James Harmes and Michael Hibberd were also believed to be present when the incident took place, and Gawn publicly rebuked the other players present for not calling out May for breaking team rules and drinking while sidelined due to the concussion protocol.
“There was a group of six or seven there. And Steven was drinking with them and I’ve spoken to all parties involved and especially the five guys outside of Steve and Jake, and I express my disappointment,” the Demons captain said on Wednesday.
“Obviously, it’s a difficult situation and anytime the guy’s one of the older leaders of the football club, but we expect our young guys to be able to lead as well and that really was disappointing.”