Melksham to undergo surgery after alteraction with teammate May

Melbourne Football Club has released a statement saying Jake Melksham requires surgery to “clean up an infection in his hand” that resulted from his altercation with teammate Steven May.

“It’s disappointing to not have him available for selection this week,” said general manager of football performance Alan Richardson.

“What is more disappointing is that the injury keeping him out of the frame for selection is a result of the altercation Jake was involved in on Sunday evening.

“I want to make it very clear that as a club, we do not condone violence of any manner, and the fact that our players allowed any disagreement to escalate to a physical level is completely unacceptable.”

Richardson went on to reiterate that both Melksham and May would undertake community service to “better understand their impact and responsibility as role models within the community”.

The teammates were involved in a scuffle in Prarahn on Sunday night at approximately 9pm, after drinking with teammates earlier in the evening.

May has already been suspended by the club for a week, given he was drinking while the incident occurred. He was under concussion protocols at the time, and was supposed to be abstaining from alcohol.

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At the time, the club said the pair were “extremely remorseful”.

Both men will now miss the key clash with Collingwood on Monday, Victoria’s Queen’s Birthday public holiday, after the club dropped two games in a row.