Tigers can help make Taylan May better person: Marshall
Jasper Bruce and Joel Gould |
Benji Marshall says Wests Tigers want to help Taylan May become a better person as the troubled centre prepares for his NRL comeback.
After impressing in NSW Cup games on a train-and-trial deal, May will run out against Gold Coast on Sunday for his first game since round 10 last year.
The game at Leichhardt Oval comes a little more than a year after Penrith released the 23-year-old in the wake of several off-field indiscretions.
May had domestic violence charges against him dropped in March, after his wife who had accused him of punching did not show up in court.
Tigers coach Marshall incorrectly said on Saturday that May had been found not guilty in court.
May had pleaded not guilty to the charges and has since spent time in a mental health facility undergoing treatment.
Marshall felt the Tigers had an opportunity to help May get his life, not just his footballing career, back on track.
“This is not just a story about what’s best footy-wise, this is also helping a person become a better person,” he said.
“There’s a lot of things that Taylan’s committed to off the field to help turn his life around. Part of that helps you on the field.
“Everyone has their struggles in life, everyone has their dramas away from footy, but we treat everyone as people and then athletes second. We’re happy to have him in the team.”
Marshall has been impressed by May’s work ethic since he joined forces with brother and prop forward Terrell at the Tigers.
“It probably runs in their family, they love training hard, they don’t really have many days off those guys,” Marshall said.
“We’re excited to see him go around but it’s his first game back from a long lay-off so we’re not expecting miracles.”
A loss on Sunday would be another blow to the last-placed Titans’ hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon.
Coach Des Hasler is under mounting pressure as speculation increases that he won’t be on board in 2026 for the final year of his contract.
Hasler has called such reports “unfounded” and forward Beau Fermor said the coach should not take the blame for the side’s failures.
“It’s probably not showing on the field, but Des isn’t the one that’s out there missing tackles, dropping balls and all of those things that are letting us down on the weekend,” Fermor said.
“He puts in more effort than anyone else at this club. I don’t think it’s Des’ fault that we’re sitting where we are, it’s us as a playing group and we need to stick together and work our way out of it.”
AAP
