Wests Tigers front-rower Terrell May has made a call between trying to make an appearance for Samoa and focusing on the Wests Tigers this upcoming season.
The 27-year-old has decided put all his attention towards club football and after the season the Tigers have just had, it's easy to see why.
In Round 8, the Tigers defeated the Raiders and were sitting in the top five on the ladder.
From there, the Tigers managed two wins and lost ten matches, with injuries and off-field drama breaking their form.
They finished outside the top eight, extending their finals drought to 15 years.
The Wests Tigers collapsed after Jarome Luai declined his player options for the final two seasons of his contract and signed with the PNG Chiefs, becoming 001 in April.
Three months later, Luai was released from his last year with the Tigers and signed a 12-month deal with the Parramatta Eels before heading to Port Moresby.
Then a second blow came when Adam Doueihi walked out of training after a dust-up with Benji Marshall and requested to leave the club. He returned to training days later and is contracted until the end of the 2029 season.
Doueihi's conflict with the Tigers led to rumours regarding players vaping in the gym or carrying man bags during weight sessions.
May, who was linked to the rumours, denied that they were true.
On a new episode of the MayDay Podcast, the front-rower spoke about his decision not to play for Samoa in the World Cup.
"I know I can do a lot better," he said.
May admitted he was dissatisfied with his 2026 form, and the contract extension he signed earlier this year played a role.
"My pre-season was not up to standard at all, not even 50 percent of what I could have done," he explained.
"After signing a long contract, I owe them [the Tigers] a lot.
"It's hard because I feel like I owe Samoa something too. I think it was the best thing for myself, selfish in a way, and if I played in the World Cup, I wouldn't have had a good pre-season again."
The 27-year-old spoke about the habits he wants to build this pre-season, hinting at eating healthy, which he talked about in past vlogs.
"I want to lose some weight and get back to my full fitness that I can potentially get to. It was hard telling my in-laws and my parents [that he won't represent Samoa]," he revealed.
Terrell also wants to stay in the present each day and read five books this summer while he's training.
Both May brothers, Terrell and Taylan, hope to build positive habits and take care of themselves physically and mentally before the Wests Tigers play the Melbourne Storm to begin the 2027 season in Las Vegas.
