‘Others played better’: Laurie Daley explains why Terrell May wasn’t picked and the Magic Round play that sealed Max King’s spot in the NSW team

A chase at Magic Round helped Max King win his spot in the Blues side, with coach Laurie Daley forced to explain why workhorse prop Terrell May missed out.

Laurie Daley has explained his decision to leave out Wests Tigers prop Terrell May for the State of Origin opener, with the NSW coach singling out a stunning defensive play by Max King as one of the reasons why he earnt a debut.

May is third in Dally M voting and has put up huge numbers for his new club, including a staggering 61 tackles and zero misses on Sunday night to go with 19 runs, seven tackle busts and three offloads.

The tireless front-rower was tipped by many to earn his Blues debut for the Origin opener on May 28 but missed out on the 20-man squad, with Daley adamant that May’s controversial comments on social media had nothing to do with his omission.

Terrell May missed out on the Blues side despite another monster game for the Wests Tigers. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“I just think the others played better than Terrell May,” Daley said, with former Blues coach Brad Fittler slamming the “pathetic” choice of words May made last week.

“All the things that I’m looking for from a player, Max King is playing outstanding.

“Terrell’s playing great but he needs to keep knocking on the door, I’m sure his time will come at some stage.

“There’s a lot of players that are unlucky, Jarome’s (Jarome Luai) another one that is unlucky, so is James Tedesco. That’s the great position we’re in, the fact there are a number of players that could be included in the squad that didn’t make it.”

King’s selection on the bench has come on the back of his consistent performances for the Bulldogs where he’s had to play huge minutes in the middle with so many forwards out suspended.

But it’s one play from Magic Round that sealed his spot, with Daley impressed that King didn’t give up when Titans speedster Tony Francis made a big break, with the Bulldogs prop backing up one tackle later to make a big defensive play on the other side of the field.

A defensive play against the Titans helped Max King earn his State of Origin debut. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

“Max’s actions as a footballer go unnoticed by a lot of people but it doesn’t go unnoticed by the coaching staff,” he said.

“There was one particular moment in Magic Round, Max had made a run and got tackled four metres out under the sticks. The Dogs moved the ball to the left, they dropped it and then (Francis) picks it up and runs 80m, gets tackled.

“The Titans move the ball to the left, the next person who made that tackle was Max King. He got back there because he knew how urgent it was for his teammates.

“That’s an action I look for and to me that’s a guy who cares about his team, cares about his teammates and that’s the type of player I want.”

Meanwhile, Daley is confident that Mitch Moses and Nathan Cleary can combine well despite both men being chief playmakers who prefer to play on the right.

Luai was the unlucky man despite playing so well for the Blues last year, with Daley backing the two star halfbacks to gel.

“That was another tough decision and I just feel like Mitch is in great form,” he said.

“He and Nathan can combine really well. Kicking games in Origins are so important and we’ve got two of the best kickers in the game. You can have a poor set but you can get away with it if you’re kick’s strong.

“Having that extra kicker in your team (is important), Mitch is great with his communication, he’s got a great running game and all the qualities he needs to be great at six.”

Are you joking? 🤯

Nathan Cleary time travelling in Magic Round ✨#pantherpride 🐾 pic.twitter.com/xuDV4tFdGz

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Cleary is the logical option to play on the right where he would combine with Panthers teammate Liam Martin and former Penrith star Stephen Crichton, but some of his biggest plays in club footy have been on the left where he’s tormented the Broncos with a couple of crucial tries.

“It’s amazing because some of Nathan’s best football has been played on the left,” Daley said.

“His last 20 minutes of the (2023) grand final have been on the left stage. Magic Round, when they beat the Broncos, he drifted across to the left too, so I don’t think he needs to be pigeonholed. Mitch can play both sides, so we’ll wait and see.”