DEFENDER Steven May has been referred directly to the AFL Tribunal for rough conduct after his Saturday Night clash with Carlton's Francis Evans.

The third quarter incident has been graded as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.

May and Evans collided as the two players streamed towards a breakaway loose ball in the forward fifty with seven minutes remaining in the third term. 

The Demons defender is himself dealing with a head knock after another late clash at the MCG.

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin backed the defender in last night's post-match media conference.

"Steve's whole intent was to get the ball, clearly," Goodwin said.

"And you can see it, even if you slow it down, his whole intent was to win the ball, and it's really unfortunate to get a concussion in the game, and sometimes you can be concussed without (it) being reported. And, you know, it's going to be one of those ones that will have to go through the process.

"But if you just look at his pure intent, it was purely for the ball, and it was unfortunate, and in the end, similar too, Steven, he's walked away with a concussion himself late in the game with a knee in a marking contest."

Carlton coach Michael Voss expressed similar thoughts. 

"Clearly it's going to get looked at. Both players were in line with the ball, seem to be attacking it to be fair, if I'm being brutally honest, and both sort of making a play at the ball," Voss said.

"Maybe one person was one step late, which obviously then the incident happens. But, for 'Frankie' to be able to hold his line with a pretty strong man coming the other way was, again, it was a pretty important moment in the game… I don't tent to read too much into it at this point of time, let the Tribunal take care of it, really.

"I mean, it's up to them to be able to adjudicate what they think is fair. We feel like we've sort of been on one end of it this week with Ben Camporeale, so I'll be interested to see how they look at that."