May brothers re-sign until 2030 after PNG Chiefs announcement hoax
Taylan and Terrell May will remain at Wests Tigers until the end of 2030 despite a bizarre Instagram post suggesting they will join Jarome Luai and their older brother Tyrone May at PNG Chiefs in 2028.
Just days after Luai announced he would leave the Tigers at the end of 2027, the May brothers left fans thinking they would follow suit with a post on social media on Friday.
“Hello everyone, all Tigers fans and every single person, I’m Terrell and ‘Tiny’ [Taylan] While there are obviously rumors floating around here regarding contract work, me and Tiny want to be transparent with you guys and just want to announce that the opportunity to play with our brother in PNG in 2028 is coming,” a distressed Terrell said in the post.
Taylan added: “We are grateful to our club. [the Tigers] They gave us, especially me, a second chance. But it’s like [coach] Benji [Marshall] ‘Family comes first,’ he says, and it was the best decision for me, my brother and our family. From now on we will all play together. We are here until 2028. Thank you.”
Minutes later the club released an official statement confirming that the May brothers had signed a three-year contract extension.
Part of the deal was that the brothers, who recorded a podcast together, were allowed to broadcast the news through their social media accounts, which they did, confusingly.
Either way, this is a big win for the Tigers, given that the front rower and center are among the most talented players at the club.
Sources with knowledge of his contract situation but not authorized to speak publicly confirmed that Terrell’s deal is worth just over $1 million per season, which puts him near the top among props in the game.
The 27-year-old is back in talks in NSW, while his brother Taylan, who recently returned from a shoulder injury, is considered one of the most physical centers in the game and a potential Blues contender in the next year or two.
But one Tigers player not interested in entertaining talk of an Origin call-up was Adam Doueihi, who has been among the club’s best this season and will be a key figure in Sunday’s trip to Cronulla.
The immortal Andrew Johns declared in his column reporter just last week Doueihi would be ranked No.14 in NSW due to his form and versatility..
“He’s got a bigger body, can play seven or six, play center, play full-back, play lock, play in the back row – even play small slot at dummy half if necessary,” Johns wrote.
Doueihi, 27, is a proud New South Welshman, but shook his head and told this imprint: “I don’t believe it. If it comes, it comes.”
Doueihi, meanwhile, praised Luai for helping him take his own game to the next level.
“He spoke to us as a playing group before telling PNG about it. [signing] It was really honest with the news, it was a little shocking but it also happened very quickly,” Doueihi said.
“We knew it was a big decision for him and his family and also the best one. It’s still a long way off and I want to make the most of it by playing with him for the next 18 months.”
“He has raised standards, especially in the way he competes in training. He lives and breathes football and knows what it takes to win. He has won four competitions. He is our captain and complements Api Koroisau very well.”
“When you spend time with him in the half, you immediately realize how talented and dedicated he is. He lets me play my part and I really enjoy it.”
The third-placed Tigers travel to the Shire without hooker Koroisau, who was suspended for three games for a hip-drop tackle on Canberra’s Noah Martin, while full-back Bula will also be out for up to a month with a fractured shoulder.
