Sydney Roosters forward Terrell May has officially been granted a release by the club, and has joined the Wests Tigers.
One of the competition’s most impactful players, May has become one of the most sought-after forwards – only behind Leo Thompson – in recent weeks and now it has been confirmed his time at the Roosters has come to an end.
The Tigers unveiled May as a new signing on Monday, with a three-year contract locked in. It will see May relocate to Concord for 2025, 2026 and 2027 on a combined total of what is believed to be around $2 million.
“I’m really excited about this opportunity, and I can’t wait to get stuck into pre-season,” May said in a club statement.
“This is a club with a very bright future, and I want to be a big part of that future.
“I know quite a few of the boys really well and they all speak fondly of the club and its people.”
After holding talks and meetings with the Canterbury Bulldogs, St George Illawarra Dragons, and Wests Tigers, May eventually penned a new deal with the Tigers after the Roosters elected to release him.
“Terrell is not only a talented footballer, but also a good person and we would like to thank him for his contribution to the Club,” Roosters head of recruitment Daniel Anderson said in a statement confirming his departure from the Roosters immediately.
“Terrell will always remain part of our Sydney Roosters family, and he leaves with our very best wishes for the future,” he added.
Re-signing with the Sydney Roosters in April, the news surrounding May being granted permission to leave the club came as a surprise, with the 2024 NRL season arguably being the best of his career to date.
Playing 27 games, predominantly off the interchange bench, he finished the year with 110 metres per game, 40 offloads, 64 tackle busts and a tackle efficiency of almost 98 per cent and has now become one of the most sought-after forwards in the competition.
The news comes as the Canterbury Bulldogs continue to ramp up their chase of Ryan Papenhuyzen from the Melbourne Storm, with the Bulldogs now considered the favourites to sign him as he runs off-contract at the end of the 2025 season.
Last week on Tuesday, Trent Robinson spoke about the reason why May was granted permission to explore his options immediately.
“They’re difficult ones,” Robinson said.
“Terrell is a really, really good player. That’s why I played him in so many games this year. But it does give opportunities to some guys underneath that to play more.
“Terrell is not going to have trouble finding a club, the quality he plays with. He is not of bad character, he has not done anything wrong.
“I think that has been thrown out there. He has been a value add to our group and there are just some small bits there around how we want to play and also the longevity of Terrell.
“We felt like it was time to move in a different direction and expressed that to Terrell. The difficult thing has been that people have questioned his character around that and that shouldn’t be the case.”
