Steven May looks on during Melbourne's clash against Carlton in round 19, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

MELBOURNE will have one last chance to get important defender Steven May off a three-match ban at an AFL Appeals board hearing on Monday night.

May's controversial ban has divided the AFL community after he was charged with rough conduct in round 19.

May was found guilty of the charge at the Tribunal on Wednesday night for the collision that left Carlton forward Francis Evans with concussion, a broken nose and a chipped tooth.

A biomechanics expert calculated May had only 0.56 seconds from the ball's final bounce until the moment of the collision, and that the premiership defender would have needed at least 0.2 to 0.25 seconds to react.

"The time available to him to perceive and react to a complex scenario is not sufficient for him to adapt and avoid contact," biomechanist Daniel Cottam said in his findings.

01:14

Blues come for May after massive bump sparks storm

Steven May finds himself in the firing line after collecting Francis Evans high with some crunching contact

May argued he had little time to react, saying he was so sure he was going to get to the ball first that he was left shocked when Evans beat him to it during Saturday night's game at the MCG.

If May is unsuccessful in his appeal, he will miss games against St Kilda, West Coast and the Western Bulldogs.

The Round Ahead

In his findings on Wednesday night, AFL Tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson said May had ample time while running towards the ball to realise there was a big chance he wouldn't arrive there first and to come up with a contingency plan.

"The most he could have hoped was that he would arrive at about the same time as Evans," Gleeson said.

"It was far more likely that he would reach the ball after Evans.

"As he gathered the ball, Evans had time to position his body just slightly so as to turn slightly away from May.

"This gives some indication that May had sufficient time to make some attempt to move his body in a way that minimised or avoided the impact limits.

02:11

'A really tough situation': Cripps has his say on May-Evans collision

Carlton captain Patrick Cripps tells Tom Mitchell and Lachie Neale his thoughts on Steven May’s collision with Francis Evans that left the Blues forward concussed

"May made no attempt to change his path, his body position or his velocity at any time leading up to or in the contest."

Before the hearing, Carlton captain Patrick Cripps questioned how May could have approached things differently.

"I felt like both of them were trying to contest the ball," Cripps told AFL.com.au's On the Inside vodcast.

"You never want to see a player get injured, but I don't understand what we want players to do.

"If that's a Grand Final and (May) hesitates and Franky gets the ball, what do you do?"