Jarryd Roughead, Drew Petrie, Jeremy Cameron and Taylor Walker. A strong handful of scalps in any language. That’s precisely who Steven May has beaten since overcoming a slow start to the year and a three-match suspension for a hit on Brisbane captain Tom Rockliff.
 
Had he not missed so much football earlier in the season, he would feature in All Australian calculations alongside Essendon’s Michael Hurley, Richmond’s Alex Rance, West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern and Melbourne’s Tom McDonald.
 
But now, after overcoming an injury interrupted pre-season and a lack of continuity in the first half of the year, May puts his current rich vein of form down to stringing together training sessions and games.
 
“I suppose just staying out on the track,” May told the media on Wednesday morning at Metricon Stadium. “I came in and we had a shaky start to the season as a whole playing group then we had some injuries and then I got suspended, I came back, played two and then had a groin strain.
 
“So after the bye I just wanted to stay on the park pretty much. I’ve been able to do that and I think we’re growing as a back six or seven.”
 
The injury calamity at Metricon Stadium this season has forced inexperienced players to grow up faster than they otherwise would have had to. Henry Schade hadn’t played senior football prior to round five, but has since been asked to sometimes play on the best or second best opposition key forward.
 
May believes Schade, along with second-year emerging star Kade Kolodjashnij, have emerged from adverse circumstances to become dependable players, both in terms of their football and their leadership.
 
“They’ve had to. I went out with suspension, [Nick] Malceski hurt his knee, Rory Thompson’s been in and out, so they’ve had no choice and to their credit they’ve really grasped it with two hands,” May said.
 
“Schade’s really grown because he hadn’t played any footy before this year so for him to take on the second, first, third best forward each week and still do a really good job is a credit to him.
 
“We’ve got young leaders like Adam Saad, Trent McKenzie and Kade Kolodjashnij that have really grown. But if we can get everyone to grow their leadership a little more it can help patch that hole that we lost with a few of our gun midfielders going down.”