May says ‘no chance’ he will miss decider

DEMONS DEFENDER SAYS HE PULLED UP WELL AFTER HAMSTRING SCARE AGAINST CATS

Perth: Star Melbourne defender Steven May says there is “no chance” he is missing the Demons’ first grand final in 21 years with injury.

May grabbed at his right hamstring after losing a marking contest in the first quarter of Friday night’s preliminary final thrashing of Geelong, and he went straight down to the rooms to get his leg strapped.

The All-Australian fullback returned to the field at the start of the second term, but was subbed out in the third quarter once the win was secure.

May said on Saturday he had pulled up as “good as I had hoped”.

“There’s no chance I’m missing that,” he said of the grand final on September 25.

“The fact that my strength and everything was there, and I was able to go back on, gave me a lot of confidence. I’m super confident in my body, I know my body pretty well now – I’ve been in really good shape this year,” he said.

“The strength in my hamstrings and my own confidence in my body is at an all-time high.”

May is one of Melbourne’s most important players, and his fitness looms as a huge talking point leading up to the grand final in Perth against the Western Bulldogs.

The fact there will be a bye week before this year’s decider will massively boost May’s chances of playing in the premiership decider.

Demons coach Simon Goodwin was comfortable with the decision to allow May back on in the second quarter. “The game was still in the balance,” Goodwin said.

“He was an important player to us, he felt like it was OK.

“They felt like it might have been back-related, so at that stage of the game it was worth taking the risk.

“He got a little bit tighter as the game went on so we didn’t want to take the risk and we subbed him out of the game.

“(The two-week break) gives him a chance to really rest and recover over the next three or four days.

“That will help Steven, there’s no question about that. He’s a full pro now, and he’ll look after his body and give himself every chance.”

Picture: AAP Defensive rock: Melbourne backman Steven May prepares to take a mark during Friday night’s big win over Geelong at Perth’s Optus Stadium.