Melbourne captain Max Gown has strongly denied claims that the club misled the public about Jack Melkosham’s injury during a scuffle with Steven May, but said he was “embarrassed” by the story.
Melxam received a one-match ban for being involved in a scuffle before it appeared he would need surgery to clear his hand infection.
Gown appeared in front of the media on Wednesday and was asked if the club had misled the public about the details of the dispute and hit against the claim.
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“We’re not going to dance around the bushes here – he’s obviously injured in a fight with Steven,” he said.
“I don’t think we’ve ever confused you with that information – we’ve just said it’s a quarrel.
“The contents have been done and (Melaksham) has hit her hand from it. She has gone inside and cleaned it.
“You’re never going to report an injury unless you know the facts.
“We’re not going to come out yesterday and say: ‘We think he’s in pain, we’re not sure.’ Today we know he’s in pain.
“It’s (injured big man) Tom MacDonald – like Tom MacDonald, we had a rough idea what was going on but we didn’t really know until yesterday. So Tom MacDonald’s injury was reported yesterday.
“We are not confused, that’s when we were dealt with.
“There’s more to it than just seeing a surgeon, an X-ray, an MRI, doctors at our own club – a lot is going on.
“If I hit my knee, it’s the same – I’m going to see different specialists, different surgeons, different doctors to get the right direction. We can say: ‘Oh, it might be a blow’ – it’s just meaningless. She’s in pain now. “
May’s second alcohol-related controversy since joining Demons in 2019 has been tumultuous, and his captain, 30, has expressed his frustration.
“We hope Steve will be able to make his own decisions with his age and his experience. It was frustrating,” he said.
“I’m not going to lie. I’ve been embarrassed for the last few days. I’ve come out often … talking about these things about how we talk to each other.
“We have a push here.
“It simply came to our notice then. Melkey called me directly to show me where the team had come from. We obviously didn’t want that to happen. But it could be a stepping stone.”
“I have no doubt that Melki and (May) did it and it is working. It’s not an overnight issue. There was a quarrel between them. It may take a few weeks for them to mend that friendship.”
Gawn and the Demons will aim to capture a two-game slide when they face an in-form Collingwood side at the MCG for the annual Queens Birthday clash on Monday.
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