'There's nothing better than Steven May taking something personally': Dees skipper praises Indigenous star

Jarred Cross Published March 18, 2024 at 2.30am (AWST)

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Steven May. Image: Julian Smith (AAP)

Demons skipper Max Gawn has praised Steven May's "superb" game after the key defender rallied past a disappointing start to be instrumental in his club's first win of 2024.

After the Western Bulldogs got the jump on Melbourne early on at the MCG on Sunday, the Dees put on a late surge to blow a largely tight affair out to a 45-point margin by full time in 30 degree conditions.

After being caught in no man's land under a marking Aaron Naughton - who put first points on the board thirty seconds in, May was in the vicinity again when Jamarra Ugle-Hagan made it two goals to none within five minutes as a 0-2 start to the year for last season's qualifying finalists threatened.

May got to work turning his afternoon around mid-way through the first term, highlighted by two big tackles within either side of a stoppage - the second crunching ex-teammate James Harmes before giving him some extra attention on the deck.

The Larrakia man finished his afternoon with 26 touches, 13 marks and 600 metres gained from 26 kicks across the Dees last line of defence.

Speaking post-match, Gawn said "there's nothing better than Steven May taking something personally".

"You saw the back end of his first quarter. It was unreal. He got us back into the game," Gawn said of May.

"Then Jamara sort of took a couple of marks here and there, but I thought Maysie just led that backline superb.

"For Steven to be able to hold up real strong like that is pretty exciting".

Ugle-Hagan let to stamp his mark on the match the opportunity slip kicking 2.3 in his first crack in 2024.

Trailing by 19 points at the final break, the Bulldogs' key forward kicked two behinds in the opening five minutes of the fourth before Melbourne ran away with the win.

It comes as a number of big name clubs are speculated to be circling for the out-of-contract former no.1 draft pick's signature at the end of the season.

After missing their opening round loss to Sydney with suspension last week, Kysaiah Pickett kicked two for the game.

The 21 returned from a one-game ban after being rubbed out for a high bump on Carlton captain Patrick Cripps during the Dees' heartbreaking semi final loss in September.

Pickett had his first before quarter time, and put on the game on ice when he snapped his second out of nowhere to put the margin beyond four goals with less than nine minutes on the clock.