Melbourne defender Steven May has suffered two broken ribs andย a small transverse process fracture. from a collision during Saturday's win over Hawthorn.
May was subbed out of the Round 2 match and subsequently departed the MCG in an ambulance following a marking contest with Hawk Mabior Chol that left the premiership Demon in pain on the turf.
The veteran defender has since been discharged from hospital but is facing a likely spell on the sidelines as details of the Demon's ailment come to light.
The club confirmed on Monday that May suffered multiple broken ribs as well as a minor crack in his vertebrae that will sideline the 32-year-old for at least one match.
The injury comes ahead of a crucial two weeks for Simon Goodwin's side, who will face both South Australian clubs in Adelaide over the next fortnight.
โSteven was obviously in a lot of pain following that heavy contact in the second quarter of Saturday's game, so we sent him off to hospital for some scans,โ Richardson said.
โThe results of these showed two fractures to his ribs, and a small transverse process fracture.
โAt this stage, Steven will miss this week's match against Port Adelaide. We will continue to monitor his pain and function following that, in the lead up to our Round 4 game.โ
Steven May has been subbed out of the game following this incident involving Mabior Chol.#AFLHawksDees pic.twitter.com/nnUDEdtzzH
— AFL (@AFL) March 23, 2024
The Demons have received positive news on stopper Jake Lever, who did not see out the 55-point win over Hawthorn due to a knee issue.
Lever hurt his leg while looking to prevent a Hawks shot on goal, with the intercepting backman left proppy after landing awkwardly and requiring medical treatment.
Scans have cleared any serious damage to Lever's knee, with the Demons backman still in the mix for Round 3 against Port Adelaide.
โPleasingly, Jake has been cleared of major injury to his right knee. He, instead, looks to have irritated a joint under his kneecap,โ Richardson said.
โWe will see how he responds this week at training, but we are optimistic he will be available for Saturday night's game in Adelaide.โ
Goodwin moved swingman Harrison Petty to defence for the final stages of Saturday's win and could look to the defender-turned-forward to play another role in his rearguard again this week if both May and Lever are unavailable.
The Demons have utilised Tom McDonald in defence over the past two weeks and could pair the in-form backman with Adam Tomlinson - the man he replaced after Opening Round.
Losing both May and Lever would see Petty and Tomlinson both called on to help negate Port Adelaide's bevy of tall forwards this weekend, with all of Todd Marshall, Jeremy Finlayson and Charlie Dixon combining for nine goals against Richmond over the weekend.
Melbourne have found some positives in recent debutant Blake Howes and the returning Marty Hore to start the season, with the pair helping support Goodwin's last line.
A potential return to the backline for Petty would leave Goodwin to rely on the likes of Ben Brown, Jacob van Rooyen and Bayley Fritsch in attack against the Power, with trio Matthew Jefferson, Tom Fullarton and Josh Schache all on standby.
The Demons head to Adelaide Oval to face the Power this Saturday before a Gather Round meeting with the Crows to open Round 4.
