Bulldogs lead race to sign Tyrone May in surprise NRL market move

Canterbury boss Phil Gould has continued his raid on current and former Penrith players with the club set to give a fallen star a shock NRL lifeline.

May is set to return to the NRL, with the Bulldogs leading the race for his signature. Picture: Getty Images

The Bulldogs are set to offer Tyrone May an NRL lifeline as they close in on signing the fallen Penrith premiership winner.

The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that May has told his current club Catalans Dragons that he will relocate to Australia at season’s end.

The Bulldogs have emerged as his likely destination with May set to ink a multi-year contract to reunite with Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo.

The NRL would need to rubberstamp his contract before he is allowed to return to the game.

May has spent the past two seasons in NRL exile after being sacked from Penrith just weeks after being part of the club’s 2021 premiership win.

Tyrone May is set to return to the NRL, with the Bulldogs leading the race for his signature. Picture: Getty Images

He joined Catalans last season on a one-year deal before recommitting for a further 12 months. May will finish the year with the Super League club before coming back to Australia. He returns to Australia with a 56-game career plagued by off-field headlines.

May was axed by the Panthers following a controversial post on Instagram after the 2021 grand final win against South Sydney. The post, which was deleted three days later, was investigated by the NRL Integrity Unit.

Not long after the Panthers premiership success May ripped off the lyrics of a song from Canadian rapper Drake called Fair Trade.

“And the dirt that they threw on my name. Turned the soil and I grew up out of it.

“Time for y’all to figure out what y’all gon’ do about it. Love my brothers.”

With the post, May included a photo of himself at court, where he was accompanied by Panthers coach Ivan Cleary.

Tyrone May leaves Parramatta Local Court in November, 2019.

May’s prior offences were taken into consideration too when he was cut loose by Penrith who had stood-by him previously.

May pleaded guilty to four counts of intentionally recording an image without consent and in January, 2020, was sentenced to 300 hours of community service, as part of a three-year community corrections order.

The utility would join fellow Penrith premiership winners Matt Burton, Viliame Kikau and Stephen Crichton at the Bulldogs next season. It also gives him a chance to work under Ciraldo again.

May was part of Ciraldo’s under-20s side which beat Manly in the 2015 grand final.

He will become the second player to resurrect their career at the club after Canterbury agreed to give Bronson Xerri a second chance when his drug ban expires before the start of next season.

The Bulldogs are facing an uphill battle to keep Jake Averillo as the Dolphins circle. Fellow centre Paul Alamoti has also held talks with North Queensland as he considers his future at Belmore.

Veteran half Josh Reynolds is likely to retire at season’s end while off-contract duo Kyle Flanagan and Luke Thompson are expected to be moved on.

Bronson Xerri will return to the NRL with Canterbury. Picture: John Grainger

Canterbury have been on a recruitment drive, having held discussions with rival forwards Tyson Frizell, Hame Sele and Matt Lodge, as well as being linked with Dragons skipper Ben Hunt.

May’s likely return to the NRL will also mean he will come up against his younger brother Taylan for the first time in their careers. The pair never played first grade together at Penrith but joined forces for Samoa at the World Cup. Taylan won’t play a game this season after rupturing his ACL in Penrith’s World Club Challenge loss to St Helens.

Their other brother Terrell May is a first grader with the Sydney Roosters.

Originally published as Bulldogs lead race to sign Tyrone May in surprise NRL market move