Fractured throat rules out Steven May ahead of Demons-Giants clash

A fracture in Steven May's throat caused the gun Melbourne defender to be ruled out of his side's season-opening game against GWS shortly before the opening bounce on Sunday.

Tom McDonald replaced May in the Demons' 22 for the MCG match and No.6 draft pick Harvey Langford became Melbourne's sub.

May fractured his larynx, or his voice box, when he copped a knock during training at Casey Fields on Friday.

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"At this stage, our medical team does not believe the injury is as significant as what Max Gawn sustained earlier in the year," Demons footy boss Alan Richardson said.

"We will assess Steven further next week, which will give us a clearer picture of the recovery timeline."

Gawn, Melbourne's inspirational captain and ruckman, fractured his larynx when he was knocked in the throat at training in December.

The seven-time All-Australian missed a month of full training.

GWS is shooting for back-to-back wins following its season-opening 52-point victory over Collingwood in Sydney last week.