- Roosters star has been slammed for his past comments
- May was told last week that he had to find a new club for the 2025 season
Terrell May’s words came back to bite him, with the Sydney Roosters last week letting the footy star know he is free to leave the club due to his attitude to the game.
Last Thursday, May was surprisingly told to find a new club for 2025, as the 25-year-old only signed a two-year contract extension worth the better part of $1 million in April.
Clearly, an interview the rising star did with the media in September played a big role in this move.
The Roosters forward told the story Sydney Morning Herald that sometimes he just ‘doesn’t want to play’.
“I gave it away twice, when I was 18 and when I was 20,” May said of footy.
‘Both times I just didn’t feel like playing anymore. I have that all year round too.
‘Sometimes I just get, “I don’t want to be there and I don’t want to play.”
‘It’s a strange feeling. I don’t think many people have the experience of loving the game and being on the TV screens one week and not wanting to be there at all the next week.
The Roosters told Terrell May he could leave the club immediately
It is understood the Roosters were concerned about May’s attitude to the game
‘Sometimes I feel like I could quit within a day. It sounds a bit strange, but I sometimes get those thoughts where I think: ‘Is this really something for me? “I’m very grateful to be where I am and play for the Roosters, but rugby league is not my whole being.”
The Roosters’ decision to tell May he was free to find a new home was also a shock, with veteran Jared Waerea-Hargreaves having signed a one-year deal with Hull KR in the Super League.
May enjoyed a career-best season in 2024, outperforming Waerea-Hargreaves and fellow Roosters props Lindsay Collins and Spencer Leniu in almost every statistical category.
The prop was informed of the club’s desire to sack him in a phone call to Roosters coach Trent Robinson earlier this week while he is on international duty with Samoa during their two-Test tour of England.
Initial reports of May’s impending departure revolved around whether the prop would be a good fit for the club, but that suggestion was rejected by the Samoan striker.
“(It has) nothing to do with things off the field,” May wrote on his Instagram.
The Roosters’ sudden decision to part ways with the forward has only increased speculation that the club is looking to land a big fish on the NRL open market.
In an interview in September, May admitted that sometimes he doesn’t want to play football
Former St George Illawarra captain Ben Hunt is a free agent, while Melbourne fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen was free to talk to rival clubs from Friday.
Joey Manu has signed just a one-year deal with a Japanese rugby club and could be lured back to the Roosters midway through the 2025 NRL season.
May, meanwhile, will have no shortage of offers following his stellar 2024 campaign.
Canterbury have free salary cap space following the club’s decision to sack Josh Addo-Carr on Thursday.
The Bulldogs were previously in the hunt for May’s signature before he extended his contract with the Roosters earlier this year.
Other likely landing spots include St George Illawarra and Wests Tigers, who are still looking for a replacement for Melbourne-bound Stefano Utoikamanu.
The Tigers remain open to offloading England Test back-rower John Bateman, who has attracted interest from Manly.
The Sea Eagles will explore a move for Bateman in the coming weeks and will not join the race for May’s signature.