Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall has encouraged Terrell May to continue to speak his mind after the star prop forward opened up on his exits from rival clubs and then dropped a bombshell that his only loyalty was to his current coach.
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“Benji showed a lot of loyalty to me,” May told the Unscripted podcast.
“As bad as it sounds – and it’ll probably get clipped – but I’ll never be loyal to another club, because at the end of the day, every club’s a business. But I’m loyal to Benji.
“So as long as Benji stays at the Tigers, they’ve got my loyalty. As long as Benji’s at the club, I’ll stay there forever. But I will never be loyal to an actual club again … say the Tigers got rid of Benji, I’m loyal to Benji (so) I’m going (as well).”
May has never been afraid to speak his mind, and Marshall doesn’t want him to shy away from being himself and saying what he thinks in a climate where a lot of players are taught to say as little as possible.
Terrell May speaks on the podcast.Source: FOX SPORTS
“It’s a funny one because as a game, we want players to be honest and express themselves and be who they are, and then when they are who they are and tell the truth, then we don’t like it,” Marshall said on Friday morning.
“One thing that I love about Terrell is we want him to be himself and express himself. And he tells the truth, and sometimes people don’t like that, but that’s who Terrell is and we love that part of him. What he says is up to him, and I want him to say how he feels.
“Loyalty is a two-way street. It means everything to me. It’s what you want your players to be.”
May will be a key figure on Sunday afternoon when the Tigers take on the Panthers in a game where Api Koroisau will make one final push for an Origin recall to replace the injured Blayke Brailey.
Heamasi Makasini.Source: Supplied
Teen sensation Heamasi Makasini has been named and will take on the premiership favourites a week after he was forced off with a shoulder injury in his first game back from a foot injury that had sidelined him since round 7.
Makasini didn’t return in the second half against the Bulldogs but impressed his coach in the first 40 minutes in his first game back from a rough outing against Brisbane where he made several errors.
“We thought he had an AC injury that we thought was worse than what it is. I think it was like 2 two carry-on last week so he’ll be right to play this week,” Marshall said.
“I thought he was really good (last week). I thought he had a great energy. He was playing against his idol in (Stephen) Crichton.
“I thought he had a good intent about him, started the game really well, and then obviously got a little bit hurt in it.
“I think that time away did him a world of good. I think sometimes when you’re young – he’s only 18 – is that the coach has to at the right time give you a spell.
“And I thought that spell probably came at a good time for him to come back in fresh again, so he’s been good.”
— Martin Gabor (NCA NewsWire)
‘I know what this team is capable of!’ | 05:55
SEVEN PREMIERSHIP GRADUATES GUIDING STORM INTO NEXT GENERATION
These are the magnificent seven players who could lead the Storm’s next golden generation as Melbourne’s commitment to a quality pathways continues to pay off.
The Road to AAMI Park project was brought in because the club acknowledged that it simply wasn’t good enough for juniors leave because there wasn’t a clear path to the NRL, while there was also a frustration that only a handful of local juniors had graduated to first grade.
But changes have been made, and Sua Fa’alogo is the poster child of it all. The local junior is tearing it up as the Storm’s fullback this year.
And there is a quiet confidence in Victoria that he is just the beginning, with seven members of their Jersey Flegg premiership team from 2025 already getting a taste of NRL this year.
Hugo Peel, Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown, Gabriel Satrick, Preston Conn, Angus Hinchey, Cooper Clarke and Stanley Huen all featured in the grand final win over Penrith in the under-21 competition last year, and the goal is for many more juniors to eventually progress into the NRL system.
“It was a strategy we put in place in partnership with the NRL to help grow the game and the pathways system here in Victoria,” Storm chief executive Justin Rodski told the NewsWire.
“We knew it was an opportunity for the game to help develop players.
NCA. MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIAÃ June 1st 2026Ã NRL. Melbourne Storm youngsters L-R. Hugo Peel, Preston Conn, Angus Hinchey, Gabriel Satrick, Stanley Huen, Cooper Clarke and Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown . Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia
“There was a rich nursery of rugby union and rugby league players and kids in the state, so for us the opportunity to create a genuine pathway that had good coaching and development opportunities for players, and ensuring they didn’t have to leave Victoria, was a priority.
“Seeing seven of those players who have come through that system together debut this season (has been great).
“It’s been in circumstances where we’ve been depleted by injuries, but what that’s done is it’s given these players an opportunity, and they’ve played together.
“I think if you look at the most successful teams across the past two decades, more often than not you’ve had a group of core players that started playing together at a young age.
“We’re really hopeful that this is an example of that where you’ve got young talent that comes through the system, they play together, develop together, and ultimately they become NRL players together.
“If you can get that right, it can often lead to a core group that carries you into your next generation.”
SUPER COOPER
Clarke has been the biggest success story out of the seven graduates, with the young forward destined for greatness if the opening few months of the season are anything to go by.
Middle forwards take a few years to fully develop in the NRL, but the early signs are great for Clarke, who has re-signed until 2029 and is proud to see so many of his junior teammates get opportunities.
“I think it’s special for the club to have the juniors coming through and that we can be the stepping stones to get there,” he said.
“I think it shows that if you put in the work and the effort, it doesn’t matter where you are now because in a year’s time, you can be playing NRL or NSW Cup.
“It might take a bit longer for some boys, but I think having us come through from last year’s team and do that (can inspire others).
“It’s honestly been amazing and an honour to be with all them and see some of them get a chance in the NRL this year.”
Melbourne Storm rising star Cooper Clarke celebrates his debut with friends and family. Picture: Storm media.Source: News Corp Australia
SATRICK HERO
Satrick’s story is perhaps the most incredible, with the young dummy-half becoming the talk of his tiny home town after he made his NRL debut against the Bulldogs last month.
His mum’s side of the family comes from Hope Vale, while his dad is from Yam Island, which boasts a population of roughly 275 people.
He grew up in Yarrabah in Queensland that has about 2500 people, with everyone either watching his first game on a projector in the park or booking flights to watch Satrick play.
Melbourne Storm debutant and Yarrabah junior Gabriel Satrick had supporters in huge numbers both at Accor Stadium and closer to home in Far North Queensland. Pictures: SuppliedSource: News Corp Australia
“I think it was like 56 people or something who came down. But then there were other people that came too, so I don’t know the exact number,” he said, with the speedy hooker learning plenty off Harry Grant.
“Everyone was proud and excited in Yarrabah. They had a projector outside in the park, and then everyone just came down with the popcorn and stuff.
“It was a big thing. Everyone knew about it, and then everyone went to the park.
“It was very emotional because it was quite a long journey to get here. I moved from home to Ipswich and then stayed there. I was away from home for six years, so it was a journey, and then it all worked out for me to get here.”
— Martin Gabor (NCA NewsWire)