May to face tribunal for bump on Blue; Hawk has surgery on kidney; Curnow breaks drought

As they met the ball, May’s right shoulder collected Evans across the face and sent him flying to the ground. “It was pretty quick, I don’t really know,” Curnow said after the game. “I reckon in those situations it’s really hard because it’s split-second. “So in the end, I don’t know, maybe we’re going down the path of ‘would have liked to see Maysie do a tackle there, so he can help Frankie play out the rest of the day’. “But in saying that, it’s hard work out there, mate. Like, Maysie has got to change in an instant.”

When pressed whether May had a duty of care to stop and lay a tackle, Curnow said, “I don’t know, I didn’t really see it that way”. “When I saw the review (on the big screen), I was obviously worried about Frankie and supporting him,” he said. Steven May will be under scrutiny for this incident with Carlton’s Francis Evans. Credit: Fox Footy Experts on Channel Nine’s Sunday Footy Show discussed the prospect of May copping a three-match ban from the MRO, but Isaac Smith, who played in premierships for Hawthorn and Geelong, said it was almost impossible to predict the outcome for May. He said and one factor that might count against the defender was the fact he didn’t stay low. “I think you can see him getting no weeks and you can see him getting four weeks,” Smith said.

Speaking after the match, Blues coach Michael Voss said both May and Evans were making a play at the ball. “Maybe one person was one step late, which obviously … then the incident happens,” he said. Charlie Curnow marks in front of Steven May on Saturday night. Credit: Getty Images “(I’ll) let the tribunal take care of it, really. I mean, it’s up to them to be able to adjudicate what they think is fair.” May later suffered a concussion when he was kneed in the head by Tom De Koning during a last-quarter marking contest and will miss next Sunday’s match against St Kilda.

Voss said Evans was “banged up on the nose” but “actually pretty good” after the game. “He’s disappointed because he was playing a fantastic game of footy. He was doing an unbelievable role for us, and we obviously lost a pretty important player,” Voss said. Hawk has surgery on lacerated kidney Scott Spits

Hawthorn utility Finn Maginness went under the knife in a Hobart hospital on Saturday night after suffering a lacerated kidney in the club’s win over Port Adelaide earlier in the day. The club said Maginness reported mild abdominal discomfort post-match, and the 24-year-old was sent to Launceston General Hospital where the kidney injury was diagnosed.

Maginness, a father-son recruit playing in his fifth season for the Hawks, was then flown south to Royal Hobart Hospital where the club said he underwent a procedure. Hawthorn head doctor Liam West said Maginness was likely to spend time in Hobart before he was able to return to Melbourne. Finn Maginness with coach Sam Mitchell after the win. Credit: AFL Photos “Finn’s health is clearly our number one priority, and right now, the most important thing is that Finn is OK, is in the right place and he will recover fully,” West said in a report on Hawthorn’s website. “Finn will continue to spend this initial period of medical observation during his recovery in Hobart before any timeline for his return to play can be determined.”

The Hawks have yet to pinpoint the moment when Maginness suffered the injury against Port, a match in which Hawthorn and Port were level at quarter-time before the home team broke clear and increased their lead at each subsequent change to win by 38 points. Hawthorn temporarily jumped into the top four after the win. With forward Mitch Lewis back in the team after a 12-month absence due to an ACL injury, they have selection pressure ahead of Thursday night’s clash against Carlton at the MCG. The Hawks took on Port without Mabior Chol (groin) while Cam Mackenzie and Changkuoth Jiath were dropped. Lewis was subbed out in the third quarter against Port in wet and wild conditions in Launceston on Saturday. Curnow back on track after 35-day drought Danny Russell

After four long rounds without a goal, star Blues forward Charlie Curnow had a night to remember in his side’s win over the Demons, including kicking the sealer in the tight victory.

Curnow opened the scoring in the first 36 seconds of the game, receiving a handball from Ollie Hollands that allowed him to break a 35-day goal drought. His third major of the night was even more memorable. With two minutes on the clock, and the Blues leading by two points, Curnow took a free kick from the 50m line on a 45-degree angle and nailed the set-shot. “I’m sure it’s been really frustrating for the fact that he hasn’t been able to hit the scoreboard, as you’d like, but he’s kept turning up,” coach Michael Voss said after the game. Carlton teammates mob Charlie Curnow after he kicked the sealer. Credit: via Getty Images

“So for Charlie to get the rewards and to be able to finish the way he did … he looked like he wanted to take that moment, which was pleasing to see, and, obviously, he was able to close out the game for us.” Loading Curnow was keen to play down his own achievements after the match, highlighting that his younger teammates Flynn Young and Matt Carroll had kicked their first goals for the club. He also praised energetic forward Ashton Moir who booted a career-high four majors against the Demons. “He’s terrible at ping pong, table tennis, I smoked him all week, same as Will White, but he’s an energetic guy,” Curnow said.

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