Jarome Luai detail comes to light as Wests Tigers win $2 million race for Terrell May
May's future has been a hot topic of debate after the Roosters told the prop he was free to leave.
Jarome Luai's influence looks to have helped the Wests Tigers pull off one of the signing coups of the NRL off-season, with Terrell May reportedly agreeing on a $2 million deal with Benji Marshall's side. Multiple reports on Monday have stated the Tigers have won the race for May's signature after he was informed by Roosters coach Trent Robinson that he wasn't part of their plans.
It's understood May's deal is for the next three seasons and came off the back of his time in Samoa camp with the Tigers' marquee signing Luai, during their recent two-Test series against England. Luai is said to be very close with the May family having previously played with Terrell's brothers Taylan and Tyrone at the Panthers.
The 25-year-old sat down for a face-to-face chat with Benji Marshall last week after striking up a bond with Luai in Samoa camp. And it's understood Marshall walked away from the face-to-face with May very impressed with what the prop could offer the club, particularly after seeing former Blues Origin prop Stefano Utoikamanu depart for the Storm.
May enjoyed a breakout season for the Roosters and was one of the club's most consistent middle forwards in 2024, making his signing a massive get for the Tigers. Marshall's side had already lost Utoikamanu as well as Isaiah Papali'i, and needed someone of May's ability to fill the void after the departure of the duo. He will join Luai, Sunia Turuva and Royce Hunt as new recruits for the Tigers in 2025.
The Roosters decided that May does not fit into the club's plans and their decision to allow him to leave left a number of rival NRL clubs circling, including the Tigers, Bulldogs and Dragons. It's understood May held discussions with Dragons coach Shane Flanagan and Bulldogs mentor Cameron Ciraldo, but the Tigers ultimately won the race.
Trent Robinson explains reasons for letting Terrell May leave
Roosters coach Robinson is said to have phoned May while the prop was in England with the Samoa squad to explain the club's decision to let him leave. Robinson told The Daily Telegraph that the prop had not done anything wrong and the move had nothing to do with his character, but admitted to having concerns around his "longevity" in the game.
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“Terrell is not going to have trouble finding a club, the quality he plays with. He is not of bad character, he has not done anything wrong," Robinson said. “I think that has been thrown out there. He has been a value add to our group and there are just some small bits there around how we want to play and also the longevity of Terrell.
“We felt like it was time to move in a different direction and expressed that to Terrell. The difficult thing has been that people have questioned his character around that and that shouldn’t be the case.” The expected release of May will give the Roosters even more salary cap space to make moves for players after the departures stars Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Luke Keary, Joseph Manu and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
Dragons happy to wait after admitting interest in Terrell May
Dragons coach Flanagan confirmed that May was a player the club was potentially looking at bringing in after identifying a middle forward and a new playmaker to replace Ben Hunt as his top priorities. But Flanagan's decision to put a call on May on the backburner seemingly handed the initiative to the Tigers.
"We might leave one of those spots open until January or February, maybe even going into the season," Flanagan said about the two positions his side are targeting. "We saw last year when Corey Allan did his ACL, we needed (the flexibility) to get someone else in.
"We talk to a lot of players... It's like buying a house. You don't put bids in for all of them and we'll be similar with Terrell. We're at talks but whether it's at a point that we're putting offers in and so on, we'll see."
with AAP
