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AAP
AAP
Scott Bailey

May to take defence lawyer to Penrith board meeting

Taylan May will attend a Panthers board meeting with a defence lawyer in his corner. (Mark Evans/AAP PHOTOS)

Taylan May has engaged his defence lawyer Abdul Reslan as he prepares to front Penrith's board and attempt to keep his lucrative contract at the NRL club.

May is due to appear next Tuesday after being issued with a show-cause notice that lists several incidents over multiple years.

The 22-year-old is currently stood down by the NRL as he fights domestic violence charges, and is unlikely to play again this year with his next court hearing in March.

But the Panthers believe they have grounds to terminate the centre's contract immediately, and that the alleged breaches do not relate to the police charges.

May signed a two-year extension with Penrith worth close to $1.2 million in March, after knocking back interest from rival clubs to stay at the foot of the mountains.

AAP understands that this is not the first time May has been issued with a breach notice, and that some of the indiscretions happened after he signed the new deal.

May attracted headlines in April when he posted a video of himself in the passenger seat of a car that was travelling at 96 km/h past a school in a residential zone.

Reslan is defending May in his domestic violence case, where the NRL star has denied claims he punched his wife in the face during an altercation in April.

May's representatives would not comment on his intended response to the show cause notice on Tuesday, but Reslan confirmed he would represent his client.

Reslan is the same lawyer representing Jackson Topine in his high-profile civil suit against Canterbury.

Taylan May, Sunia Turuva and Jarome Luai.
Taylan May is swamped by Tigers-bound duo Sunia Turuva and Jarome Luai after scoring against Souths. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

Next week's hearing comes as Penrith hold off any decision on replacing May in their roster as permitted under the NRL's no-fault stand-down policy.

If May's contract is to be torn up, it is estimated that the three-time defending premiers would have close to $1.5 million free in their cap for next season.

On top of May's situation, the Panthers have already agreed to release James Fisher-Harris from his contract on personal grounds to allow him to return to New Zealand.

Fisher-Harris was on a deal close to $900,000 a year, and will be replaced by Wests Tigers second-rower Isaiah Papali'i whose salary is closer to $650,000.

Jarome Luai will be heading the other way on a big-money deal, while Sunia Turuva is also bound for Concord.

The Panthers would now theoretically have had the money to retain both players, but have long vowed not to engage in bidding wars in an attempt to keep their salary cap in check.

Jesse McLean is seen as a long-term replacement for Turuva in the backline, while his 18-year-old brother Casey was also upgraded to Penrith's top-30 squad after May was stood down.

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