NRL world divided over Jarome Luai, Wests Tigers airport selfie drama

A Wests Tigers star has taken a rare, public step after sharing a video that has sparked heated debate across NRL cyberspace.

NRL fans have been left divided over an interaction between Wests Tigers players and a member of the public seeking selfies at an airport.

A video shared on Terrell May’s YouTube Vlog has got tongues wagging after an NRL fan appeared to ask if he could take a selfie with team captain Jarome Luai and other players while the team was waiting in a terminal at Brisbane Airport last weekend.

Luai appeared to be in the middle of a video call with his family and had headphones in his ears at the time of the request. A young baby could be seen on the screen of his phone at the time of the request.

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The star playmaker appeared to brush the fan off and his decision not to engage in conversation with the member of the public has sparked debate about the obligations expected of NRL players off the football field.

News.com.au has contacted the Wests Tigers for comment on the video.

May’s video shows the prop forward humorously directing the fan to instead take photos with Royce Hunt and Jahream Bula.

The man filmed in the video was seen squeezing in between Bula and May as they were seated waiting for their flight back to Sydney.

You can watch the airport scene in the video player above.

Jarome Luai was on a call when he was approached. Photo: YouTube, @TerrellDavisMay.

Tigers stars Brent Naden, Api Koroisau, Fonua Pole and Charlie Staines were among the players sitting together at the time they were asked to pose for photos.

When the man was directed to take a photo with Hunt, who was having a giant gulp into a morning snack, the forward bluntly replied: “I’m eating”.

May then light-heartedly told his teammate: “You’re sad man”.

While the Tigers and the member of the public were polite throughout the scene, the interaction left most social media users defending the Tigers players for how they acted.

Some fans, however, took to Facebook and YouTube to criticise the players for not obliging the fan.

Criticism from some YouTube users in the comments section prompted May to take the rare step of replying directly to one user.

“Romey (Luai) was on FaceTime to his family and the guy saw that and still asked,” May posted.

That didn’t stop criticism from being shared on multiple social media platforms.

May’s video has more than 35,000 views on YouTube and one clip taken from the Vlog and posted on Facebook has more than 400,000 views.

Some of the comments on YouTube turned ugly with trolls calling Hunt “low”.

NRL fans on Twitter largely stood up in defence of the Tigers players.

NRL commentator Curtis Woodward wrote on X: “Get what you’re saying but the boys are eating or on the phone. Nobody was rude. May controlled that perfectly and looked after his teammates and the fan”

A Tigers fans page posted: “Grown adults asking players for selfies when they’re on their own time is cringe AF”.

One person posted: “Think this is more a lack of basic manners than poor club & fan relations”.

Another wrote: “Tigers players could combine to find a cure for cancer tomorrow & there will still be some absolute idiots on this app who will find a way to be critical & have a go at the culture”.

Royce Hunt was asked for a photo. Credit: YouTube, @TerrellDavisMay.

One X user in disagreeance, however, posted: “I don’t care what anyone says, that TikTok is once again a highlight of the culture at that club. Royce (Hunt) could’ve acknowledged him at the least considering Terrell was the one who sent him there to begin with. The arrogance in that whole video is disturbing”.

One X user posted: “Luai in the middle of a FaceTime call with his family, fair enough, but Royce Hunt can’t even look at the guy or say a single word to him, just acts like he doesn’t exist.

“Pretty ordinary way to treat your fans.”

The Tigers were at Brisbane Airport the morning after their 34-28 Magic Round win over the Dragons.

May’s 30-minute Vlog followed Tigers players from their dressing room celebrations at Suncorp Stadium through to their bus trip to the airport from their team Brisbane hotel the morning after.

May kept the camera rolling as they landed down in Sydney after the big win over the Dragons.

While there was plenty to celebrate last week, there will be some serious soul-searching going on at the club this week after a pitiful 64-0 flogging at the hands of the Storm in Melbourne on Sunday.

Terrell May video triggers Brandon Smith storm

Terrell May has become one of the most popular players on the Wests Tigers roster since joining the club this year.

The former Roosters prop has emerged as a serious contender to be selected in NSW coach Laurie Daley’s team for the State of Origin series opener.

He has also proven popular in his video interactions with fans on social media channels, including TikTok and Twitch.

May’s video habits have, however, got him into trouble previously, including a video with former Roosters teammate Brandon Smith that triggered an NRL storm.

The Roosters in May, 2024, were forced to issue a warning for social media users to stop circulating “defamatory” comments surrounding Smith’s appearance in one of May’s live Twitch streams.

The club at the time strongly refuted claims the video showed any “use of illicit substances or any other breach of NRL rules”.

May made the extraordinary move to the Tigers in November, while Smith was told he was free to leave the club last year.

May and the Tigers will next face the Rabbitohs at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Sunday.

Originally published as NRL world divided over Jarome Luai, Wests Tigers airport selfie drama