Why the numbers don’t support Terrell May’s surprise State of Origin snub

He’s coming third in Dally M voting, has more runs and offloads than any other player in the competition, but was seemingly never in consideration for NSW. Something just doesn’t add up with Terrell May’s Origin snubbing.

The numbers don’t add up when it comes to Terrell May’s Origin snubbing.

Sure, the likes of Payne Haas, Mitch Barnett, Spencer Leniu and Max King deserve their spots after great starts to 2025, but it almost seems May was never even in the picture.

May was also overlooked by reserve Stefano Utoikamanu, the now injured Jacob Saifiti and Manly prop Jake Trbojevic.

Terrell May may be one of the best props in the league, but he still couldn’t get a look in for the NSW Blues team. Picture: NRL Images

NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley says the front-rowers he decided to go with are all playing better than May... but do the numbers support that? Picture Thomas Lisson

The Tigers Prop broke his silence on Tuesday afternoon, speaking on Nathans Lawns and Gardens Facebook page, May said he was frustrated when hearing reports that he wasn’t in the Blues side, which led to his comments about throwing away the jersey.

“I wish I could take that back, but you can’t,” May said.

“Obviously I was joking, but no one really knows me personally, so I shouldn’t assume people are going to know me.”

Despite missing game one selection, May vowed to keep grinding and working towards playing for the Blues.

“I’m going to try and earn that spot and trust,” May said.

“I just wish I had a way to communicate that to the staff members at the Blues.”

Coach Laurie Daley says it was a moment in Magic Round that convinced him King was the man for the Blues and not May but surely the Tigers’ prop’s incredible numbers count for something.

And if you’re looking for a moment, how about in Round 8 when May charged down a field-goal attempt from Nicho Hynes in the last minute to force golden point, with the Tigers going on to win the game.

May played 84 minutes, racked up 29 hit ups for 228 metres and made 42 tackles, missing none.

Daley, the man once responsible for snapping a Queensland eight-year winning-streak has seemingly made one of the most questionable selection decisions in recent Origin memory.

“I think the others are playing better than Terrell May – all the things I’m looking for as a player,” Daley said.

“Terrell is playing great, but he just needs to keep knocking on the door.”

With the help of Code Sports stats, this masthead has dived into the season of who Daley has picked, and compared them with May to see where the front rower has missed out.

Terrell May charged down a Nicho Hynes field goal in the 79th minute of the Tigers vs Sharks match in Round 8. The Tigers went on to win the game in golden point.

ATTACK

Apart from the fact May is coming third overall in Dally M points, his attack has been a massive reason the Tigers almost have the same amount of wins after 10 rounds, as they did all of last year.

Forget just positions, the 25-year-old has had more runs then any other player in the competition, with 203 throughout the first 10 games.

Haas isn’t far behind with 199, but the next best NSW prop is King on 166, Barnett on 144, and then Utoikamanu on 106.

May also has more minutes on the field then any other prop, with 811 for the year.

We can’t skip over May’s 36 offloads, again, the most of any player in the game.

Now, for all those who will argue May has only racked up these numbers because he starts and plays big minutes, and wouldn’t be able to do it off the bench, throwing an offload only becomes harder with the more tired a player becomes.

May leads the NRL in runs and offloads, and plays more minutes than any other prop. Picture: Getty Images

DEFENCE

There were reports May was a defensive liability and that was a big reason which has seen the front rower miss selection.

But what exactly is a defensive liability?

May sits at a tackle efficiency of 92 per cent, which is only topped by Hass out of all Blues front rowers.

Where he isn’t topped is tackles made. Sitting on 422, second most of any player in the competition, with almost 100 more than Haas, May is the busiest defensive middle in the game today.

But maybe it’s his misses?

Missing just 13 tackles this year, May has missed fewer than Barnett (21) and King (17) who both got the nod over him for this year’s series.

May made a whopping 63 tackles against Souths, with none missed, including this one on Lachlan Huber. Picture: NRL Imagery

IMPACT

Origin is a funny game, and sometimes the best players have to take a back seat due to impact they may not have on the field, but not even this can be an argument used to keep May out of the Blues.

The Tigers have lacked a front-row presence like May for almost their entire existence, and you can argue that without his x-factor and passion for his jersey, the side is in the same spot it was for the last three years.

Against the Rabbitohs in Round 11, in a losing team, May had 19 runs for 199 run metres, made 63 tackles, and didn't come close to missing one.

You can be the most talented player in the world, but throughout the course of this year, on the field May is all heart. Almost like he was made for the Origin arena.