Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Taylan and Terrell May will remain at the Wests Tigers until the end of 2030 despite a bizarre Instagram post declaring they would join Jarome Luai and their older brother, Tyrone May, at the PNG Chiefs in 2028.
Just days after Luai declared he would exit the Tigers at the end of 2027, the May brothers on Friday left supporters thinking they were about to do likewise with a post on social media.
“Hey everyone, all the Tigers fans and every single person, it’s Terrell and ‘Tiny’ [Taylan] here, obviously with the rumours going around with contract stuff, me and Tiny want to be transparent with you guys, and just announce an opportunity has come about to play with our older brother in PNG in 2028,” a distressed Terrell said in the post.
Taylan added: “We’re grateful for what the club [the Tigers] has given us, especially me, they gave me a second chance. But like [coach] Benji [Marshall] says, ‘family comes first’, and that was the best decision for me and my brother and our family. Now we all get to play together. We’re still here until 2028. Thank you.”
Minutes later, the club put out an official release, confirming the May brothers had inked three-year contract extensions.
Part of the agreement was that the brothers, who record a podcast together, would be allowed to reveal the news via their social media accounts – which they did in confusing fashion.
Either way, it is a big win for the Tigers given the front-rower and centre are among the most gifted players at the club.
Sources with knowledge of his contract situation not authorised to speak publicly confirmed Terrell’s deal is worth just over $1 million a season, which places him in the top bracket of props in the game.
The 27-year-old is back in the NSW conversation while brother Taylan, who recently returned from a shoulder injury, is one of the most physical centres in the game and seen as a potential Blues contender in the next year or two.
But one Tigers player who had no interest 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.
Immortal Andrew Johns declared in his column for the Herald just last week that Doueihi would be his NSW No. 14 because of his form and versatility.
“He’s a bigger body, he can play seven or six, he can play centre, he can play fullback, he can play lock, he can play in the back row – he could even play a small window at dummy half if it was needed,” Johns wrote.
Doueihi, 27, is a proud New South Welshman, but shook his head and told this masthead: “I’m not buying into that. 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 he told PNG about the [signing] news, he was really honest, it was a bit of a shock, but it also happened so quickly,” Doueihi said.
“We knew it was a big decision for him and his family, and also the best one. It’s still so far away, and I want to make the most of playing with him the next 18 months.
“The way he competes, especially at training, he has lifted the standards. He lives and breathes footy, and knows what it takes to win. He’s won four comps. He’s our captain and complements Api Koroisau so well.
“Just spending time with him in the halves, you quickly realise how gifted and selfless he is. He allows me to play my role, and I’m really enjoying that.”
The third-placed Tigers head to the Shire without hooker Koroisau, who copped a three-match ban for a hip-drop tackle on Canberra’s Noah Martin, while fullback Bula is also out for up to a month with a busted shoulder.
