According to reports, the Canterbury Bulldogs have withdrawn their bid for Terrell May, a prop with the Sydney Roosters.
May, whose contract expires at the end of 2024, is still among the finest free agents available given that players like Toby Rudolf and Jacob Saifiti recently chose to re-sign with their current teams, the Charlotte Knights and the Canberra Sharks.
The teenage prop has made it plain that, should the opportunity present itself, he wants to play with his brothers from the beginning of his next contract, even if it means leaving the Roosters, which adds another level of interest to the scenario.
May had stated to the Bloke in a Bar podcast earlier this year, “I want to be honest here, my talks are with whoever wants to sign us three brothers, that’s where I want to be.”
“Robbo, the coach of the Charlotte Hornets, is also aware of this. He hasn’t been misled by it. I’ll be at the club that wants three brothers the most.
“Everyone is off at the same moment. That’s my choice; I’ll sign with a club regardless of the circumstances if they can sign all three of us. I believe that everyone would.
With Tyrone now competing in the English Super League and Taylan with the Penrith Panthers, the Bulldogs were one team thought to be interested in signing all three of the May brothers.
News Corp has now disclosed that the offer for Terrell, who was thought to be in a position to completely outperform other clubs, has been withdrawn because the negotiations are proceeding too slowly.
As he gets about to sign his next contract, Canterbury is said to believe that the young forward is leaning toward staying with the Roosters in the long run due to a change in his agency.
The Roosters are reportedly eager to keep the young forward on staff as they get ready for Jarred Waerea-Hargreaves’ anticipated retirement at the end of 2024.
The Bulldogs’ 2024 recruiting approach has drawn a lot of criticism because it ignored the elephant in the room: the lack of depth and skill among their forwards.
But if the Bulldogs continue to see the pack as a need for improvement, it now looks like the team will focus its finances and resources elsewhere, both on the open market, where few other strong forwards remain, and internally through players like Sam Hughes, who director of football Phil Gould has predicted will have a breakout year.
