Three men poised to be charged over The Continental hotel Sorrento brawl allegedly involving AFL players Steven May and Dion Prestia

“Finally, it looks like we might be close to getting some justice.”

This masthead is not suggesting that May or Prestia were responsible for Salter’s injuries and police have not alleged that.

May, 33, is a key defender for the Melbourne Demons. Prestia, 32, is a prominent midfielder for the Richmond Tigers.

A spokesman for the Demons said the club was aware of the police statement, but would make no further comment. A spokeswoman for the Tigers said Prestia was unaware of any charges.

Police have ramped up their investigation over the past month.

“Mornington Peninsula Crime Investigation Unit detectives have interviewed three men as part of their investigation into an affray in Sorrento on December 27,” Victoria Police said.

As reported by this masthead in February, a female witness, who asked not to be identified because she says she is still traumatised by the incident, confirmed the two premiership players were part of a group that allegedly assaulted Salter and his friend.

“May has said something like, ‘Well look who it is’, when he approached the victims after leaving The Continental hotel. He just came straight for Will’s friend. They shook each other a bit, and all of a sudden, the fight broke out,” the woman said.

“I’ve never witnessed anything like this in my life. I was screaming. I genuinely thought they were both going to die.”

May and Prestia had been celebrating a bucks’ party at the Sorrento Hotel earlier in the evening, while Salter and his friends, who all live on the Mornington Peninsula, had been having dinner at the same venue. Both groups moved to The Continental about 11pm.

However, when Salter and three friends left the hotel, widely known as “The Conti”, about 1.20am, they claim they encountered May, Prestia and their group on the road.

“There were words between my group and the other group for a bit … then I saw Steven May yelling and screaming, ‘Come on, let’s go’, and then I saw him punch [my friend] to the face, and then it was on,” Salter said in his police statement made on January 23.

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The area where the fight occurred is not covered by CCTV.

Prestia and May made their AFL debuts with the Gold Coast Suns in 2011. Prestia left after the 2016 season to join Richmond, going on to claim a best-and-fairest award and three premierships.

May quit the Suns after the 2018 season, and enjoyed the ultimate team success with the Demons in 2021. He was the All-Australian fullback in 2021 and 2022.

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