May made his AFL debut against
Essendon in round six of the
2011 season, playing as a defender. May played nine games in 2011, playing the majority of the time in defence. In 2012, May was again used in defence for the best part of the 2012 AFL season until round 21 against
Hawthorn where he had a breakout game, being moved forward for the game. In the game, he kicked three goals, took 12 marks in an impressive display up forward for the Suns. In a 2014 match against the
Sydney Swans, May manned-up on two-time
Coleman Medallist
Lance Franklin, and did it well, limiting him to only three goals. On 16 April 2016, May knocked out
Stefan Martin after leaving his feet to deliver a full-body hit after the ball had gone past the two players. As a result, May was suspended for five matches. May was named a co-captain of the
Gold Coast Football Club in December 2016, making him just the sixth Indigenous captain in
VFL/AFL history. On 24 May 2017, it was announced that he would wear number 67 on his AFL guernsey, rather than his usual 17, for the round 10
Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round game against . This was to commemorate
the 1967 referendum which allowed Indigenous Australians to be counted with the general population in the census. During the 2018 AFL trade period, May was traded to . Early in his first year at Melbourne, May was impacted by injuries and poor form. However, ever since, his impact and contribution to the Melbourne backline has been outstanding alongside
Jake Lever and
Adam Tomlinson . By round 7 in 2021, May was averaging 20.2 disposals per match, 16.7 kicks and 6.8 marks. Melbourne remained undefeated and on top of the ladder at that time conceding the fewest points (434) of any team by that point of the season. May won his first
AFL premiership with
Melbourne in the
2021 AFL Grand Final, after Melbourne defeated the
Western Bulldogs, despite having playing a serious hamstring injury. In June 2022, May was suspended for one match following a public altercation with teammate
Jake Melksham and also drinking alcohol while under the concussion protocols. Sources at Melbourne commented that the drunken scuffle was the result of Melksham's comments on May's drinking habit. May announced his retirement from the AFL on March 1, 2026 a few days prior to the commencement of the
2026 AFL season. ==Statistics==