{"id":406214,"date":"2026-05-01T05:45:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T05:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/406214\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T05:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T05:45:08","slug":"not-following-luai-tigers-lock-in-two-stars-on-long-term-deals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/406214\/","title":{"rendered":"Not following Luai: Tigers lock in two stars on long-term deals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Both Taylan and Terrell May<\/a> have officially re-signed with the Wests Tigers<\/a> in a mega coup for the joint-venture.<\/p>\n

The duo were almost immediately linked to a move to the PNG Chiefs<\/a> after the signing of Jarome Luai<\/a> earlier this week ahead of their entry into the NRL<\/a> in 2028, but that has now been squashed.<\/p>\n

Instead, both Taylan and Terrell will remain with the Tigers until at least the end of 2030 in a three-year extension a piece.<\/p>\n

Neither player was able to negotiate with rivals until at least November 1 this year, and it also likely shuts down the idea of the duo linking up with Tyrone May<\/a>, who is playing in the English Super League<\/a> but has been floated as a possible inaugural Chief.<\/p>\n

Terrell joined the Tigers ahead of 2025 and immediately became one of the competition’s best props, while Taylan returned to the game with the Tigers in the middle of 2025 and was also excellent through the second half of the season.<\/p>\n

Terrell, who was controversially overlooked for Origin selection last year, said it was special to re-sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love it here and to have our future secured at the Tigers until 2030 is something special,” he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFamily is so important to us and it’s something that drew me to the Club in the first place. I can’t speak highly enough of Benji and the staff for the support they give us to be ourselves on and off the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m really enjoying my footy this year and we’re getting results thanks to the way we’ve trained over pre-season. The focus is just staying locked in and getting better every single day for the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylan, who impressed on a train and trial deal before moving into the Tigers Top 30, has gained a permanent spot in Benji Marshall’s side, capitalising on the early potential he showed at the Penrith Panthers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The star centre paid plenty of credit to coach Benji Marshall<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was grateful for the opportunity Benji and the Club gave to me last year, giving me a chance to come back to the NRL<\/a> and play with my brother has been a dream for us,” he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe both love it here and I love all the boys, we’ve got a great culture. We’re playing our footy and enjoying the process of getting better every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cBenji’s been great for all the boys, he makes you a better player and gives you the confidence to go out there and express yourself. He’s been a big inspiration for all of us, and we love playing for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Tigers are humming through the first half of 2026, looking at playing their first finals series in more than a decade if they can keep things together.<\/p>\n

The May brothers will play a large role in that, and Marshall said the double signing news couldn’t be better.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re so happy to have Terrell and Taylan locked in with us long term,\u201d Marshall said.<\/p>\n

“They both bring so many things on and off the field to our Club. I love who they are and what they stand for.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince Terrell’s been at our Club he’s taken his game to the next level, and I truly believe his best is still ahead of him. I can’t speak highly enough of what he has brought to our team and our culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaylan’s taken massive steps in his journey and I love that he feels at home with us to be able to be himself. He adds a calmness and an \u2018X’ factor to our side in both defence and attack and we value everything he brings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s clear with both boys is they are \u2018all in’ and committed to where we are heading as a Club and are both integral parts of our team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m just really pleased for our fans that they get to have Terrell and Taylan and their families here for the next four seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Both Taylan and Terrell May have officially re-signed with the Wests Tigers in a mega coup for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":303505,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-406214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/303505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}