<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Two </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/afl" rel="" target="" title="AFL"><span>AFL</span></a><span> champions have been cleared of any involvement in a Boxing Day fight after prosecutors dropped all charges.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Richmond midfielder Dion Prestia, 33, and </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/melbourne" rel="" target="" title="Melbourne"><span>Melbourne</span></a><span> premiership player Steven May, 34, were each charged over the incident at a Victorian coastal town.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Two groups were involved in an altercation in Sorrento about 2am on December 27, 2024, and two men were taken to hospital with injuries, police previously said.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/isis-brides-australia-costs-two-million-taxpayer-bill-monitoring-rehabilitation-welfare-explained/1cc42ff2-b3dc-415c-810e-7a75327b46b9"><strong><span>Australian taxpayers to foot $2 million 'ISIS bride' bill</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Prestia, a three-time premiership player, was charged on summons with recklessly causing serious injury, intentionally causing injury, recklessly causing injury and affray.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>May, who announced his sudden retirement from the AFL in March despite being contracted until the end of 2026, was charged on summons with affray.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Both men appeared via video link into </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/courts" rel="" target="" title="Frankston Magistrates Court"><span>Frankston Magistrates Court</span></a><span> on this morning where prosecutor Alex Turner advised the charges were withdrawn.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/dion-prestia-and-steven-may-charges-dropped-for-two-afl-champions-accused-of-affray-melbourne-victoria/bfa5ee33-304e-4f91-8593-7f973cf3a019" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Magistrate Tony Burns subsequently confirmed all of the offences against the two men would be struck out.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/canva-artificial-intelligence-discovery-week-thousands-of-staff-stop-work/fa1afd48-3768-42db-8a6b-743d55da82c7"><strong><span>Thousands of staff at $60bn Aussie company suddenly stop working</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He also ordered the footballers' legal costs be paid by the Chief Commissioner of Police, following an application from defence lawyer Tony Hargreaves.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>May and Prestia only spoke during the brief hearing to confirm they could hear the court and to thank the magistrate after he advised they could leave the link.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Hargreaves refused to comment on the outcome as he left court.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>May and Prestia have consistently denied the allegations and the court was told in March that two other suspects were being interviewed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There was no footage of the altercation and investigators were relying on word-of-mouth evidence from two competing groups, Turner previously told the court.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Prestia won three premierships for Richmond, and was awarded the club's best-and-fairest in 2019.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>May played for Melbourne in the 2021 premiership and is a dual All-Australian player.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><strong><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>