May: I wasn’t ready
STEVEN May says he wasn’t ready to become captain of the Suns in 2017 but believes the experience has given him the tools to help improve Gold Coast’s performances.
May was named co-captain alongside Tom Lynch ahead of last season with the pair taking over from inaugural skipper Gary Ablett who has now rejoined Geelong.
Lynch was the man touted as Ablett’s successor and despite May’s name being sporadically tossed up as a potential leader, not even he thought it was something he was destined to do.
May admitted captaincy wasn’t even on his radar at the time but the role had taught him the lessons that he said will take the club forward.
It wasn’t in his selfless onfield acts or big tackles. He knew how to lead by example.
The 25-year-old said it was the relationships built with each player and knowing what makes each tick.
“Last year the captaincy got put on me, it wasn’t something I was aiming for,” May said.
“I wasn’t sort of ready for it. I learnt a lot last year under (former coach Rodney Eade) and with Gaz (Ablett).
“I’ve had a year to feel it, I think the way football’s going it’s relationship based and if you can learn to give not only negative but positive feedback in the right way you get a real spike in performance.
“That’s something I’ve been trying to work on.”
Lynch echoed May’s realisation and said their close bond with each other had helped both in the role.
“Last year was a pretty tough year so we may have focused a little bit too much on the negatives as captains on game day,” Lynch said.
“We need a good balance in that area. Steven and I have strong relationship, upfront and honest with each other. We really fed off each other.”
New Suns coach Stuart Dew said he’d keep the co-captains in the roles while declaring his intentions to have the team’s leadership group sorted before the Christmas break.
“I’m coming from Sydney where they did (co-captains) for a number of years,” Dew said.
“I think it’s a really big positive and part of that has to be the relationship between the two captains and myself.”