Terrell May drops sad news about Origin amid staggering call to axe Stephen Crichton
Terrell May has revealed he doesn't expect to be picked for NSW in State of Origin 1 and believes media reports that he'll be overlooked are accurate. And NSW legend Andrew Johns has made the staggering call that he thinks Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic should be picked in the centres ahead of Stephen Crichton.
May is the form front-rower of the competition alongside Payne Haas, and many thought they were certain to line up for NSW together in Origin 1. But reports in recent days have suggested May will be overlooked because coach Laurie Daley has concerns around his defence.
Daley is likely to go with forwards who can physically dominate Queensland like Mitch Barnett and Spencer Leniu, whereas May is more known for his skill and footwork. May has been an offloading machine in 2025, but it appears Daley values other qualities in his front-rowers.
Speaking on his Twitch stream while playing video games on Thursday night, May told a friend he was playing with: 'You know that Blues jersey I bought you? Chuck it in the bin."
The friend responded: 'Oh yep. Have they already done it (named the team)?' To which May said: "Nah but have you seen the thing (reports) that came out?"
When asked if it was just media speculation, May said the reports had to be coming from those in the know. "Nah it's not the media. How do you think it got leaked, you think they're not just playing Chinese whispers." He finished off by saying: "Might have to switch my allegiance."
May has been a popular pick amongst fans for months, with many believing he's a certainty for a State of Origin debut. But tellingly, leading figures like Greg Alexander, Cooper Cronk and Johns have left him out when naming their predicted teams.
Johns named the 17 he would pick on the 'Immortal Behaviour' podcast on Thursday, and there was no room for May. But bizarrely, Johns also left out Bulldogs captain and superstar Crichton.
The NSW legend said he'd only pick Crichton if Trbojevic wasn't available, while predicting Brian To'o and Zac Lomax will retain their wing spots. To'o and Lomax will only have played one game apiece before Daley picks the team for Origin 1, but they were so good last year that many believe it doesn't matter.
"I don't care if they only play one game," Johns said of To'o and Lomax. "They'll be right as long as they get through (this weekend)."
But Johns' decision to go with Trbojevic over Crichton raised more than a few eyebrows. Trbojevic hasn't played Origin since 2023 due to a horrid run of injuries, and hasn't looked fully-fit at any stage in 2025. He's already missed games this year due to hamstring and knee injuries, and many believe it'd be too big of a risk to pick him for the Blues.
As for Crichton, he's the best defensive centre in the NRL and carved up the Raiders last weekend with ball in hand. With major uncertainty surrounding Jake Trbojevic's place in the team, many believe Crichton should be made NSW captain after the leading the Bulldogs to the top of the NRL ladder.
But Johns thinks Nathan Cleary will get the captaincy, and doesn't believe Crichton should be picked unless Trbojevic isn't good to go. Needless to say, it sparked some furious reactions on social media.
Meanwhile, Johns picked Dylan Edwards over James Tedesco at fullback, and Mitchell Moses over Jarome Luai at five-eighth. Curiously, he went with two back-rowers on the bench in Hudson Young and Haumole Olakau'atu, despite conventional wisdom saying you need two front-rowers instead.
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