{"id":716555,"date":"2026-06-05T08:34:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T08:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/716555\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T08:34:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T08:34:14","slug":"two-way-street-benji-responds-to-stars-loyalty-comments-seven-players-leading-storm-into-new-era-nrl-daily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/716555\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Two-way street\u2019: Benji responds to star\u2019s \u2018loyalty\u2019 comments; Seven players leading Storm into new era \u2014 NRL Daily"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Watch every game of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | <a href=\"https:\/\/kayosports.com.au\/en-AU\/welcome\/nrl?pg=default&amp;extcamp=fsaeditoriallinkleague-edt-fsp-lnk-awr-grc-nrl-kyo&amp;channel=fsa&amp;campaign=fsacontra&amp;voucher=\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBenji showed a lot of loyalty to me,\u201d May told the Unscripted podcast. <\/p>\n<p><img class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/poster-fallback.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs bad as it sounds \u2013 and it\u2019ll probably get clipped \u2013 but I\u2019ll never be loyal to another club, because at the end of the day, every club\u2019s a business. But I\u2019m loyal to Benji.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo as long as Benji stays at the Tigers, they\u2019ve got my loyalty. As long as Benji\u2019s at the club, I\u2019ll stay there forever. But I will never be loyal to an actual club again \u2026 say the Tigers got rid of Benji, I\u2019m loyal to Benji (so) I\u2019m going (as well).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>May has never been afraid to speak his mind, and Marshall doesn\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n<p>Terrell May speaks on the podcast.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s 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\u2019t like it,\u201d Marshall said on Friday morning. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne 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\u2019t like that, but that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLoyalty is a two-way street. It means everything to me. It\u2019s what you want your players to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>Heamasi Makasini.Source: Supplied<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Makasini didn\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe 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\u2019ll be right to play this week,\u201d Marshall said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought he was really good (last week). I thought he had a great energy. He was playing against his idol in (Stephen) Crichton.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought he had a good intent about him, started the game really well, and then obviously got a little bit hurt in it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that time away did him a world of good. I think sometimes when you\u2019re young \u2013 he\u2019s only 18 \u2013 is that the coach has to at the right time give you a spell. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I thought that spell probably came at a good time for him to come back in fresh again, so he\u2019s been good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Martin Gabor (NCA NewsWire)<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I know what this team is capable of!&#8217; | 05:55<\/p>\n<p>SEVEN PREMIERSHIP GRADUATES GUIDING STORM INTO NEXT GENERATION<\/p>\n<p>These are the magnificent seven players who could lead the Storm\u2019s next golden generation as Melbourne\u2019s commitment to a quality pathways continues to pay off.<\/p>\n<p>The Road to AAMI Park project was brought in because the club acknowledged that it simply wasn\u2019t good enough for juniors leave because there wasn\u2019t a clear path to the NRL, while there was also a frustration that only a handful of local juniors had graduated to first grade.<\/p>\n<p>But changes have been made, and Sua Fa\u2019alogo is the poster child of it all. The local junior is tearing it up as the Storm\u2019s fullback this year.<\/p>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a strategy we put in place in partnership with the NRL to help grow the game and the pathways system here in Victoria,\u201d Storm chief executive Justin Rodski told the NewsWire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe knew it was an opportunity for the game to help develop players. <\/p>\n<p>NCA. MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA\u00c3\u0089 June 1st 2026\u00c3\u0089 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<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere 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\u2019t have to leave Victoria, was a priority.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeeing seven of those players who have come through that system together debut this season (has been great).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been in circumstances where we\u2019ve been depleted by injuries, but what that\u2019s done is it\u2019s given these players an opportunity, and they\u2019ve played together.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think if you look at the most successful teams across the past two decades, more often than not you\u2019ve had a group of core players that started playing together at a young age. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re really hopeful that this is an example of that where you\u2019ve got young talent that comes through the system, they play together, develop together, and ultimately they become NRL players together. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you can get that right, it can often lead to a core group that carries you into your next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>SUPER COOPER<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s special for the club to have the juniors coming through and that we can be the stepping stones to get there,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it shows that if you put in the work and the effort, it doesn\u2019t matter where you are now because in a year\u2019s time, you can be playing NRL or NSW Cup.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt might take a bit longer for some boys, but I think having us come through from last year\u2019s team and do that (can inspire others).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s honestly been amazing and an honour to be with all them and see some of them get a chance in the NRL this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melbourne Storm rising star Cooper Clarke celebrates his debut with friends and family. Picture: Storm media.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n<p>SATRICK HERO<\/p>\n<p>Satrick\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n<p>His mum\u2019s side of the family comes from Hope Vale, while his dad is from Yam Island, which boasts a population of roughly 275 people.<\/p>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>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<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it was like 56 people or something who came down. But then there were other people that came too, so I don\u2019t know the exact number,\u201d he said, with the speedy hooker learning plenty off Harry Grant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone 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. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a big thing. Everyone knew about it, and then everyone went to the park.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Martin Gabor (NCA NewsWire)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall has encouraged Terrell May to continue to speak his mind after the star&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":716556,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-716555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=716555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/716556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=716555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=716555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=716555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}