When the AFL Tribunal handed down a five-game suspension to SUNS vice-captain Steven May on Tuesday evening, there was disappointment for not just May himself, but across the board for anyone involved with the Gold Coast Football Club.

After a difficult week, coach Rodney Eade described May’s response to the suspension as ‘quite good’ with the key defender showing genuine remorse after the incident and accepting full responsibility for his actions.

“I think publicly he’s obviously said the right things. He’s taken full responsibility for it, a misjudgement in a split second now he’s got to wear that,” Eade told United Coaches Chat.

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“But I think by taking responsibility as well he knows that he was undisciplined with it, that he’s let the team down but there’s no sense in us harbouring him.

“It’s about us as a club and playing group getting around him and getting behind him now, which there’s been a great deal of support for him.

“He knows that he’ll help as much as he can and support the other defenders.”

The veteran mentor said there was no need for May to change his approach to the game and his physicality, but it was important for the Northern Territorian to keep his eyes on the football at all times.

“Certainly don’t mind him, I suppose, being physical,” Eade said.

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“I suppose that one when the dust settles we need to be able to talk him through that to be able to have his eyes on the ball completely. To target the ball and if the player’s in the way then I think that’s well and good.

“But he just went past the ball, which he shouldn’t have done.”