Robo interview

[SamKerrSimp]

I don't understand the controversy over moving Terrell May on the guy puts up Paul Gallen numbers of 140m from 20 hit ups in a forward pack that gets belted out of the game against every big team and title challenger in the comp, it's a no brainer the forward pack needed a shakeup especially when we have two young fellas who are as big as Nelson and I saw more encouraging things from De La Salle Va'a in his short stint against Souths than May who let's face it he is just Aaron Woods with a passing game and his best role is to play as a ball playing lock which we already have two players that are better at this role than he is.

Look at the games we lost when May started: Melbourne, Cowboys, Penrith, Manly some of those were in the absence of guys like JWH and Collins so it gave him the chance to be the man and show he can step up when needed and he didn't, then look at the teams we beat when he started in the front row: Tigers, Bulldogs, Souths and even then his performances aren't that amazing, the Bulldogs play with a small forward pack, Tigers are 3peat spooners and Souths were busteds and he still didn't play that good.

I'd be very surprised if May isn't the Papalii replacement in 13 at Wests and if he is then who is picking him over Radley or Watson at that position?

Anyway, Robbo pretty much confirming that next year is about developing young players and getting them much needed experience. People can make fun of his "Roosters way" and another philosophical stuff but I'm at least glad he's going to change how they play after being blown off the park every time we play Penrith and Melbourne something needs to change there.

[Rooster_6]

Did he explain how May was playing the style they wanted in the first 8 weeks of competition to warrant an upgrade, but now seems incapable of learning the new style we have in mind for next year?

I too am now excited about this new brand of forward play we have in mind for next year, might be as revolutionary as when sticky got us hunting as a pack in 2002.

I've already made the post that I was excited about the way May started the season and though the longer the season went the more he went away from that.

Angus Crichton falls into the same boat for me. I thought he tampered off towards the end of the season and was extremely disappointing in the Storm and Panthers games. A large percentage of our carries went through these two players this year and I thought we were found wanting against the best sides who handled their offlaods much more easily than the lower placed sides did.

[Chook2]

I think we can all agree on one thing - the May situation has really decided the chookpen
Half of fans happy and agree he should go
half are scratching their heads thinking wtf
sense it was announced it has left many baffled into why hence came out the accusations around him playing around off the field which shows many others considered his results fine
to re sign him and months later let him go and not replace him I think we have lost out atm

[Chook2]

I don't understand the controversy over moving Terrell May on the guy puts up Paul Gallen numbers of 140m from 20 hit ups in a forward pack that gets belted out of the game against every big team and title challenger in the comp, it's a no brainer the forward pack needed a shakeup especially when we have two young fellas who are as big as Nelson and I saw more encouraging things from De La Salle Va'a in his short stint against Souths than May who let's face it he is just Aaron Woods with a passing game and his best role is to play as a ball playing lock which we already have two players that are better at this role than he is.

Look at the games we lost when May started: Melbourne, Cowboys, Penrith, Manly some of those were in the absence of guys like JWH and Collins so it gave him the chance to be the man and show he can step up when needed and he didn't, then look at the teams we beat when he started in the front row: Tigers, Bulldogs, Souths and even then his performances aren't that amazing, the Bulldogs play with a small forward pack, Tigers are 3peat spooners and Souths were busteds and he still didn't play that good.

I'd be very surprised if May isn't the Papalii replacement in 13 at Wests and if he is then who is picking him over Radley or Watson at that position?

Anyway, Robbo pretty much confirming that next year is about developing young players and getting them much needed experience. People can make fun of his "Roosters way" and another philosophical stuff but I'm at least glad he's going to change how they play after being blown off the park every time we play Penrith and Melbourne something needs to change there.

Hard to call May out when the whole team was outplayed
by the riff and storm
when jwh and Collins and others also played they didn’t do anything either
and yes May was better then Collins and Spencer this year who we re signed for nearly twice the money as May and actually stayed on the field unlike jwh

[SamKerrSimp]

Hard to call May out when the whole team was outplayed
by the riff and storm
when jwh and Collins and others also played they didn’t do anything either
and yes May was better then Collins and Spencer this year who we re signed for nearly twice the money as May and actually stayed on the field unlike jwh

JWH spent half the season suspended and he was still our best prop bar none, Collins wasn't the best but he has the runs on the board and a long term contract, Spencer at least showed glimpses and his power game is probably what Robbo wants going forward he also walked in to the NSW team after playing about 3 games this year.

May is nothing special and all this stuff about "why did we re-sign him to let him go" we did the exact same thing to Tupouniua these things happen and performances change, he was off contract at the end of the season and if he was so good why did the club only offer him a 2 year deal and not a 3-4 year deal? The difference from when we re-signed May to when we got rid of him is that we got belted in all the big games we played after that contract. Something that's been left out recently is how May did nothing in the tests against England he put up his usual 120m 20 hit ups while Samoa got belted.

I haven't seen Roosters fans overrated a player as much as Terrell May since Luke Towers was the saviour.

[Tennessee Tornado]

It would have been if it wasn’t nearly December coming into 2025
If it was for 2026 10 clubs would have been looking at him but many have their salary filled and not $700k for a player like that at this time of year
the top clubs also have a great front row so wouldn’t need him atm anyway

In most situations if a team want a player they make it happen regardless of their current roster. Eg. Cronk for Pearce

[HDTONE]

Wished they asked why we hard for Hunt if we were backing who we've got atm.

[ChookMaster]

JWH spent half the season suspended and he was still our best prop bar none, Collins wasn't the best but he has the runs on the board and a long term contract, Spencer at least showed glimpses and his power game is probably what Robbo wants going forward he also walked in to the NSW team after playing about 3 games this year.

May is nothing special and all this stuff about "why did we re-sign him to let him go" we did the exact same thing to Tupouniua these things happen and performances change, he was off contract at the end of the season and if he was so good why did the club only offer him a 2 year deal and not a 3-4 year deal? The difference from when we re-signed May to when we got rid of him is that we got belted in all the big games we played after that contract. Something that's been left out recently is how May did nothing in the tests against England he put up his usual 120m 20 hit ups while Samoa got belted.

I haven't seen Roosters fans overrated a player as much as Terrell May since Luke Towers was the saviour.

Oh my goodness. This is a shocker.

You are seriously saying May did nothing in the tests? Mate he was one of their best I have no idea where you got that one from. He played long minutes and got through a mountain of work for them which hey btw some posters on here will brag about Nat or Lindsay doing a bunch of ruck work and effort but will now downplay May for doing the same.

He certainly went away from his power game that he was known for, he started ball playing more and looking to throw it rather than tuck it under and hit it up but that also contributed to points in some games you know, he did keep the ball alive in a lot of plays for us.

He’s still only young and has a heap of potential maybe Benji will instruct him to be more direct. I am very keen to see him develop

[roosterchook]

Terrell has the biggest engine of all our front rowers, he played a few games in 2024 where he played 60+ minutes and on a couple of occasions (including a test match for Samoa) he played the full 80 minutes as opposed to Spencer and Cheese who are gassed after 10 minutes. I cannot fathom what their rationale for letting him go is, he does things on a footy field that the likes of Nat Butcher are never going to do be able to achieve. He has a quality offload, runs unique lines that cause confusion in the opposition defence and a super low error rate. I'll never understand why we kept the Butchers (neither of whom would pull the skin off a custard) and let T-May go. It was earlier this year Butcher was on the cusp of finally being dropped due to poor form, but instead we'll promote him to the leadership group and let one of our best players go.

The Butchers would have been my first to go. Hopeless and useless.

[roosterchook]

I find this the most accurate comment in this thread.

An expert on nothingness. What we need is action and change not more hot air.

[roosterchook]

I think we can all agree on one thing - the May situation has really decided the chookpen
Half of fans happy and agree he should go
half are scratching their heads thinking wtf
sense it was announced it has left many baffled into why hence came out the accusations around him playing around off the field which shows many others considered his results fine
to re sign him and months later let him go and not replace him I think we have lost out atm

Maybe our D against the top teams had something to do with May’s dismissal. We used to pride ourselves on our once impregnable D but it seems the guys we are paying to keep it intact have failed. Collins and Leniu have also had no impact in big games. We bought Brandon a dud from Storm and Leniu may be another dud let go by Penrith. Collins has a great game sometimes.

["gaz"]

With all the changes and from what Trent has indicated, there will be a definite change to the style of footy they play.

What I’d like is for a supremely fit side, that can outlast any team. I’d like to see the squad get serious miles into their legs this summer.

On a side note, I’d like to welcome ‘Gaz’ back. His contributions have been first class

Wow, Thanks Country Rooster, Will try to keep the good stuff coming.
By the way where in the country do you reside
I am originally from Bathurst

["gaz"]

[/U]

Onya "gaz".

Appreciate your effort.

Can I call you Bono?

Your welcome and sure/

["gaz"]

Thanks for sharing Gaz.
Many don't have ability to post DT stuff due to their pay for view wall.

Hi Gman, how have you been mate?
Not a problem, happy to contribute.

[Chook2]

JWH spent half the season suspended and he was still our best prop bar none, Collins wasn't the best but he has the runs on the board and a long term contract, Spencer at least showed glimpses and his power game is probably what Robbo wants going forward he also walked in to the NSW team after playing about 3 games this year.

May is nothing special and all this stuff about "why did we re-sign him to let him go" we did the exact same thing to Tupouniua these things happen and performances change, he was off contract at the end of the season and if he was so good why did the club only offer him a 2 year deal and not a 3-4 year deal? The difference from when we re-signed May to when we got rid of him is that we got belted in all the big games we played after that contract. Something that's been left out recently is how May did nothing in the tests against England he put up his usual 120m 20 hit ups while Samoa got belted.

I haven't seen Roosters fans overrated a player as much as Terrell May since Luke Towers was the saviour.

May was Samoa best forward
what’s wrong with cracking 20 hit ups and 140mtr?
Better then a Collins 5 runs for 40 mtr
sitili was different he was overpaid on $600k and playing res grade it was a no brainer to move him on as it was an incorrect call
not someone on $450k who we had for a bargain and talked about for nsw who was looking to start next year and allready loosing jwh
with origin when Collins and Spencer are out who play front row?
whyte then a scary butcher combo?