Terrell May makes eye-opening admission about family after hitting out at exit from Roosters

Terrell May says a 'family-first' emphasis from the Wests Tigers and coach Beni Marshall convinced him to join the NRL club after taking aim at the nature of his exit from the Roosters. May revealed earlier in the week that he was blindsided by a phone call from Trent Robinson last month in which the Roosters coach explained that the prop was no longer part of the club's plans going forward.

The Samoa international said he received the call two days before a Test against England, with league journalist Michael Caryannis labelling it a "really poor" move from Robinson and the Roosters. May said he didn't really understand Robinson's explanation that he didn't fit the Roosters' playing style and suggested the decision was made after the season as a way of stopping him from joining a top club - most of whom had their rosters sorted for 2025.

May's comments were hardly a glowing endorsement for the Tigers, who he eventually agreed to join on a three-year deal from 2025. The move came after conversations with Tigers coach Marshall and fellow recruit Jarome Luai, who is also his international teammate with Samoa. And May says he's keen to put the messy Roosters exit behind him.

"I just feel like I'm a Tiger now and I'm in the present," he said during an open training session with his new club on Saturday. "I don't want to talk about the past anymore, whatever's said was said, let's move on from that." May said there were plenty of clubs interested in him before he extended at the Roosters earlier in 2024, only to be told that he was surplus to requirements at the end of the season.

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Again, there was no shortage of clubs chasing May's signature but the prop ultimately signed with the Tigers as the latest in a string of big-name acquisitions for Marshall's side. The Tigers have also added the marquee signing of four-time premiership winner Luai and fellow former Panther Sunia Turuva, to go with experienced forwards Jack Bird and Royce Hunt.

"Everyone gets along here and the training looks good, to be honest," May added. It has been a full-circle moment to reunite with Marshall, who was at the Tigers when May first arrived there as a 20-year-old. And May says it was the head coach that ultimately convinced him the Tigers were the right fit.

"He looked after me as a younger guy and I want to pay him back because he's the reason I came here, that meeting I had with him," May said. The workhorse prop - who was on the cusp of Origin selection for the Blues this year - said Marshall's emphasis on the importance of family was pivotal to the move.

May revealed in an interview before the Roosters' NRL finals campaign in September that league does not define his life and that his love of the sport often wavers. Marshall caused a similar stir earlier in the year after going on a family holiday during a mid-season break and May says the Tigers coach's emphasis on a family-first approach really resonated with him.

Terrell May impressed by family-first culture at Wests Tigers

"It was just amazing to see someone put their family before footy. That's exactly what I do," he said. "He just told me he was going to put his family first like I do. Family first for me, then footy. It was amazing to hear a coach say that, it's refreshing.

"I've never heard a coach say that before. I'm keen to play under Benji and I'm going do everything I can for this club and for Benji to pay them back." May also singled out his new teammate Luai for praise and said the marquee star has grown into a tremendous leader that can drive standards at the reigning wooden spooners.

Luai showed his commitment to the Tigers after coming back for pre-season training one week earlier than he was required to. And the superstar recruit also spent an hour-and-a-half signing autographs and taking selfies with Tigers fans in searing heat during Saturday's open training session, long after the rest of his teammates had left.

"He's blossomed heaps. I remember him always being immature and just that guy that mocks everyone but he's really taken on his role of leadership," May said about Luai. "It's surprising to see because I've known him as that mocking, young, immature dude. It's good to see him like this now."

with AAP