Wests Tigers head coach Benji Marshall has publicly thrown his support behind star prop Terrell May, urging the forward to keep speaking openly after May’s bombshell comments that his loyalty lies exclusively with Marshall — not the club itself.
In an appearance on the Unscripted podcast, May pulled no punches when discussing his stance on institutional loyalty in professional rugby league. “Benji showed a great deal of loyalty to me,” May explained. “I know it sounds harsh, and it will probably get taken out of context, but I will never pledge full loyalty to any club again. At the end of the day, every club operates as a business. My loyalty is to Benji, not the organization.”
May doubled down on the clear stance: “As long as Benji remains at the Tigers, I will stay here for good. But if the club ever let Benji go, my loyalty to him means I would leave too.”
The prop has built a reputation for unfiltered, honest commentary in media appearances, a trait Marshall is determined to protect at a time when most elite athletes are trained to stick to generic, risk-free talking points.
Speaking to media on Friday morning, Marshall pushed back on criticism of May’s remarks, arguing professional rugby league sends a mixed message to its players. “It’s a strange dynamic, isn’t it? As a sport, we all say we want players to be honest, show their true personalities and express themselves openly. But when they actually do that and tell the unvarnished truth, a lot of people end up uncomfortable with it,” Marshall said.
“One of the things I love most about Terrell is that he is unapologetically himself. We want him to keep being open, we love that he tells it like it is — even if that truth rubs some people the wrong way. What he says is his choice, and I fully encourage him to share how he really feels. Loyalty is a two-way street, after all. It means everything to me, and that’s the kind of honesty I want from my squad.”
The controversy around May’s comments comes as the Tigers prepare for a high-stakes Sunday afternoon clash against competition favorites the Panthers. The match also looms as a critical opportunity for hooker Api Koroisau, who is fighting for a State of Origin recall to replace injured Cronulla star Blayke Brailey.
A key talking point heading into the game is the availability of 18-year-old teenage sensation Heamasi Makasini, who has been named in the match day squad just one week after leaving the field early with a shoulder injury. Makasini’s return itself came only a week prior, after he spent more than a month on the sidelines with a foot injury sustained in round 7.
Makasini did not return to the pitch for the second half of last weekend’s match against the Bulldogs, but his first 40 minutes of play impressed Marshall, even after a shaky performance against Brisbane that included multiple uncharacteristic errors. Initial fears that the forward had suffered a serious AC joint injury proved unfounded, Marshall confirmed.
“We thought the AC injury was worse than it actually turned out to be. He was able to do light training all week, so he’s perfectly fit to play this weekend,” Marshall said. “I thought he was really good last week. He brought incredible energy to the pitch, he was playing against Stephen Crichton, who he’s looked up to for years, and he played with real intent right from the kickoff. He just picked up a little knock halfway through, that’s all.”
Marshall added that the brief time off the pitch has been a net positive for the young player, who is still adjusting to the intensity of top-flight first-grade rugby league. “I think that little break did him a world of good. He’s only 18, so sometimes as a coach you have to know when to give a young player a short spell to reset. This break came at exactly the right time for him to come back fresh, and he’s looked sharp all week in training.”