Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

user118245 said:
Underwent a medical on Monday, beyond training immediately if club rubber stamps deal, he turned down a similar T&T with Souths and made them aware of his decision to join tigers. He also turned down a full time contract at Warrington
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Interesting, why would we not give him a base value top 30 deal since we have a few positions tn fill ?
 
Vicious said:
Yes he needs to either shift back to 5/8 with Latu at 13, shift to 13 himself with Latu at 6, maybe try him as an edge back rower and if that all fails we would have no use for him.
Due to his lack of speed and lack of high energy, surely his centre days are over.
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I wonder if his legs / knees are playing up. Not only is his speed slowing, his kicking is not saving him anymore. Can't comment on his general energy as I haven't watched him closely.
 
Vicious said:
If we had to make a decision on either Starford To’a or Taylan May who would we choose ?
I know it’s possible we could have them both for next season, but assuming we are looking at recruiting another quality player in our outside backs and could only have one of them and assuming their contract values are both around the 400-500k range who would we prefer ?
Obviously with Taylan being out of the game for a couple of seasons we don’t know if and how quickly he would return to his best, that’s the worrying part.
I’m assuming that is possibly the reason we are not yet offering him near the contract value he is looking for and possibly the reason why he is looking around to see if another club will.
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Vicious don't forget Makasini will be ready for next season I would think.
 
Taylan May on the verge of joining Wests Tigers
By Michael Chammas
June 9, 2025 — 12.25pm

Taylan May is on the verge of resurrecting his NRL career at the Wests Tigers on a deal that could see him return to play in the coming weeks.

The former Penrith Panthers winger and centre, who has been searching for a new home since departing the reigning premiers last year, has opted for a train-and-trial opportunity with the Tigers — where his older brother Terrell is currently contracted.

May underwent a medical examination at the club on Monday and is expected to begin training with Benji Marshall’s side immediately if the club rubber stamps the deal. The club previously decided against pursuing May’s services but had a recent change of heart.

May, who was previously stood down by the NRL under the code’s no-fault stand-down policy, was in court in March after pleading not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of stalking or intimidation intending to cause fear of harm, and two counts of contravening an AVO.

Charges were withdrawn three months ago, opening the door for his return to the NRL. He has since spent time in a mental health facility as he tries to rebuild his life.

May turned down a similar train-and-trial offer from the Rabbitohs despite visiting the club’s Heffron Park facility a fortnight ago. South Sydney has been made aware of his decision.

While South Sydney had shown interest in adding depth to their outside backs, May ultimately chose to pursue an opportunity that offered both a family connection and a clearer pathway to a potential top-30 contract.

Sources familiar with the situation talking on the condition of anonymity as they were not permitted to discuss the deal said May was particularly drawn to the chance of linking up with Terrell at the Tigers, who have lost their past four games and are in desperate need of strike power out wide.

The 22-year-old also knocked back an offer from former Rabbitohs enforcer Sam Burgess to join Warrington in the English Super League despite the guarantee of a fulltime contract.

The Wolves had expressed strong interest in luring May abroad mid-season, but the Samoa international is believed to be determined to prove his worth in the NRL and stay close to friends and family.

If he impresses during his trial period, May could be available for selection as early as round 16 against Canberra with the Tigers enjoying this week off with the bye
 
ancient_magpie said:
Vicious don't forget Makasini will be ready for next season I would think.
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Hey mate, I watched Makasini fairly closely during the SG Ball season and although you could clearly see his obvious size, power, speed and class, he still holds back a lot and is very much a gentle giant.
A lot can change over 6-12 months as we all know and he’s already a better attacking left centre than Doueihi, but as far as his all round game goes I think he’s still 18 months from pushing for a regular NRL position.
 
Vicious said:
Latu is a very classy player, he has been like that since his younger days dominating the junior reps and it’s still there for all to see.
However he now has a much chunkier build and keep in mind he has mostly played 13 for our NRL team this season and has looked extremely good in doing so.
The middle 13 role he has been playing is quite different from playing 80mins each week at 5/8, so it still remains to be seen whether or not he and Luai are a suitable halves combination or not.
I have not yet seen Latu demonstrate a good confident kicking game, is he now a touch too slow to be a top quality 5/8 and we ideally need someone to play as a 13 just like how Latu has been playing it to really allow a Luai/Latu halves combination to have the freedom to play at their best.
Still a lot of unanswered questions in my opinion.
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No question in my opinion, Vicious. Latu's the most natural half we've got.
 
I hope the Talyan are correct will help push second half season.
This would allow Benji to get AD to move into 13. I personally think would work perfectly. Good ball player also keeps him in the middle and can make use of his big boot that we are missing ATM. Then Heath can play 14 between him and TDS to keep learning and getting time in cup. Teal back to middle of the bench. Then you can carry Hunt on the bench as don’t need big minutes out of him. I would have him 10 before half and 5-10 mid second half when TM get a quick break.
 
Vicious said:
Possibly and we all hope you are right.
I think our overall kicking game is currently a clear bottom 3 in the NRL, do you think that improves with Latu at 6 ?
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I think he's always been more comfortable at 6, but could possibly be better at 7 for us than Luai. Kicking game still a question but he's still young & has capacity to learn.
My concern is coaching for him and others. Despite being a great half, I'm not sure Benji was a great tactician as a player. I'd like our young halves getting development & coaching in game management & structure, including kicking.
 
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