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How Wests Tigers reignited a childhood combo by unleashing brothers Terrell and Taylan May
He’s one of the NRL’s premier props, but upon reuniting with brother Taylan, Terrell May showed glimpses of a position he once dominated in his youth – halfback. It could be the childhood combo that the Tigers need.
It is the halfback-centre combination the Wests Tigers didn’t know they had, but may just be one that’s needed.
Playing with his younger brother Taylan for the first time in the NRL, Terrell, one of the game’s premier props, showed glimpses of a different position he once dominated.
Halfback.
Yes, the 108kg front-rower, recalled how he used to don the No.7 jersey alongside Taylan for the Minchinbury Jets in the under-15s C-grade competition.
And last weekend, they were kids again.
“I used to play halfback when I was younger,” Terrell said.
“Growing up, my dad would play me everywhere.”
Wests Tigers brothers Taylan and Terrell May. Picture: Rohan Kelly
He claims his off-the-cuff playing style and spontaneous movement is perfect for his controversial sibling, who has an innate understanding of what unfolds when Terrell has the ball.
“We know each other’s games so well,” Terrell said of his brother, whose nickname is ‘Tiny’ because he was the smallest of the three brothers, including Tyrone.
“He just knows every time I touch the ball I’m kind of like random, no one knows what I’m going to do. Step back, pass it … it’s like he actually knows what I’m doing in my head.”
The May brothers combined multiple times during Taylan’s comeback against Gold Coast, with Terrell throwing the pass which landed Taylan’s first try in 14 months.
The brothers played together for the first time in the NRL on Sunday. Picture: NRL Photos
Months after his surprise exit from the Sydney Roosters, Terrell admits he could sometimes be a challenging teammate to play alongside.
“I feel like I’m a very hard player to play with for the boys,” Terrell said.
“I feel like they don’t know what I’m doing.
“I don’t even know what I’m doing. I just play off instinct, and Tiny (Taylan) knows how I play and obviously we have that connection from being brothers.”
Taylan’s return to first grade came after a one year absence due to charges of domestic violence, which were withdrawn earlier this year.
He later checked himself into a mental health facility to deal with some personal demons.
And while the brothers know most people won’t forget the allegations made against the former Penrith star, they remain focused on proving peoples’ opinions wrong.
“He has already had to prove a lot of people wrong, and there are still a lot of people doubting him,” Terrell said.
“Obviously there is going to be a lot of people hating on him.
“But people just assume and no one knows what really happened.”
Terrell admits he was unsure whether Taylan was ready for an NRL comeback last week, feeling he may have been a bit underdone heading into his clash against the Titans.
Before his 80-minute performance that included a try, two try assists, 147 running metres and eight tackle breaks, Taylan had only played just 120 minutes of football in over a year.
Taylan May scores a try on his return to the NRL. Picture: NRL Photos
“I was thinking, ‘To be honest, he’s not ready’,” Terrell said.
“He played half of one game and one full game, only three weeks of training, but when we went out there he quickly showed how ready he was.”
When allegations against Taylan were dropped, the 23-year-old was instantly linked with the Tigers, where Terrell has quickly become a leader under coach Benji Marshall.
But Terrell claims there was no discussion about playing together in Concord.
Now both have begun talks on a contract extension to remain at the club.
“For me personally I do (want to be a Tiger for the rest of my career), but I don’t know Tiny’s situation,” Terrell said.
“Honestly, me and Tiny don’t speak about footy at all, even yesterday we were together for a couple of hours and we did not talk about the game once.
“Footy is our job. And when we’re not in our job, it’s all about life.”
Taylan and Terrell May in Penrith where they are recording a podcast together at Studio 27 Project. Picture: Rohan Kelly
The pair have even taken that approach into their new podcast Mayday, with Taylan filming his first episode this week.
Former Roosters star Joseph Manu, and Tigers teammate Sunia Turuva are set to feature in upcoming episodes, which showcase life off the football field.
Even with the lack of rugby league talk, both brothers are solely focused on finishing the year with the Tigers strong, with the team still yet to reach its peak.
With six games left and a bye, both Terrell and Taylan haven’t given up hope of the finals.
“Without him (Taylan) we probably don’t win on the weekend,” Terrell said.
“It’s not up to individuals, when we play as a team we can beat any team in the comp.
“We haven’t hit our peak because we have had combos changing every week, now we need to be good every week to make this top eight.”
