Why Steven May will be vital to Melbourne's 2020 success: Lewis

Former Melbourne defender Jordan Lewis believes his old side needs a fit and firing Steven May above anything else in 2020.

The key defender only played eight games, dealing with a lack of fitness which caused multiple injuries across the year.

Lewis feels he is vital to the Demons climbing up the ladder this season.

“I think Steven May is probably (the player they can least afford to lose),” he told SEN Breakfast.

“I think those players are really hard to come by. A player that can lock down a key defensive position, but also use that as a rebounding springboard from the back half.

“It allows Jake Lever and other players to play their role. If May is out of the side, then Lever might have to go to a lock down which is not his natural position.”

“I didn’t see much of him at the Gold Coast, but he is a seriously good player.”

Lewis believes May was not prepared for the scrutiny of living in the Victorian footy bubble.

“Being on the Gold Coast, he was sheltered from a lot of this and he got a real lesson when he first came to Melbourne about one, how much of a microscope you’re under and two, what we expect as a club,” he said.