Jake Lever has described his relationship with Steven May as “like an old, married couple” — one which continues to power Melbourne’s impregnable defence.
Lever and May, Melbourne’s superstar defending tandem, are best known for their intercepting prowess — but they’ve also been captured on the odd occasion letting their frustrations out at each other.
The pair have again played key parts in spurring the Demons, who trend towards another finals berth in 2024 after starting with five wins from their first seven games.
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Whether it’s because they got in each other’s way or there was an assignment miscommunication, the pair aren’t afraid to express their ‘constructive criticism’ with each other.
“He has his good days and bad days, the big fella,” Lever told Fox Footy’s On the Couch on Monday night.
“It’s always a topic of conversation with my wife’s family, his family. We just argue all the time out there, we’re like an old, married couple.
“I think it’s just how we get the best out of each other. He’s obviously a fantastic player.
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“See there, him spoiling me — we do that a fair bit,” Lever chuckled, watching vision of their occasional spats.
“He’s got the same (angry) face; I always try and give him a bit back. Sometimes I feel like he wants to get his frustration out, but I’ve got my level of frustration as well.
“I think it’s the respect we have for each other out on the footy field. In the locker room, we just joke all the time.
“Like, I absolutely love playing with Steve. We had a little bit of trouble early on, especially with that sort of stuff — when we first started playing with each other, we’d spoil each other and we’d argue, but now I feel like once we have that argument, we just move on straight away.”
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Lever — third in the AFL in intercept marks (25) — and May — fourth in marls per game (eight) — have again played integral roles in aiding the Dees’ back half and have stayed available despite injury hindrances, whether they be of the soft-tissue or broken bone variety.
May fought through broken ribs and minor vertebrae damage against Hawthorn to only miss one game.
“That game against Adelaide (two weeks after suffering the injury), he (May) came to me at quarter-time and said: ‘I’m struggling here, he got me in the ribs’,” Lever told Fox Footy.
“But he’s just so tough and he wants to win for the team, and that’s what I love about him.”
Over the course of the past four seasons, Melbourne has ranked first in the AFL in points against and in opposition scores per inside-50 rate — a testament to their back-six integrity.
A blockbuster meeting with the Cats awaits the Demons this Saturday night. Geelong averages the third-most goals per game this season and is third best in goals per inside-50 rate.
Source Agencies
