'One of the best': Taylan May lauded for 'outstanding' Wests Tigers debut after 436-day absence

Spending more than 14 months - 436 days, to be precise - away from the top grade wasn't enough to rattle the nerves of a returning Taylan May in what marked a dream start for the controversial Wests Tigers recruit.

The 23-year-old played just two games of NSW Cup since signing a train-and-trial deal with the club in June, before earning a call-up to the NRL side on Sunday afternoon.

May didn't disappoint in his return, finishing with a try and two try assists, helping the Tigers to a dramatic 21-20 victory over the Titans at Leichhardt Oval.

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His performance was described as "one of the best" by teammate and skipper Jarome Luai, who he previously played alongside at the Panthers.

Speaking post-game, coach Benji Marshall admitted he wasn't expecting "miracles" in his Tigers debut, but was full of praise for the embattled star.

"His first game back in however long, for Taylan to do that, he was outstanding," he said.

"I wasn't expecting big things or miracles given he only had four weeks training. It took me half a game of Cup two weeks ago for me to realise that he was almost ready.

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Asked what moment in May's NSW Cup cameo stood out the most, Marshall replied: "It wasn't a moment it was more you could see class.

"You could see a guy that has x factor and to be honest with you, defence was mostly what I was looking at more from him. Today his defence was outstanding.

"Some of the reads and tackles he made were massive for us."

The gun centre was sacked by Penrith last year after a string of off-field incidents, which included filming himself in the passenger seat of a car travelling 96kmh in a 50kmh zone, as well as a prior assault charge in 2021 that saw him banned for two matches.

May was also facing domestic violence charges that were dropped in March this year, clearing his path back to the NRL.

While the five-time Samoan international impressed Marshall, the collective display from the Tigers left plenty to be desired.

"If I'm being honest, I thought today was our worst game," the club great said.

"There is a lot of things you don't know. We had a couple of guys in hospital this week with the flu that we thought weren't going to play today.

"Alex Twal, Alex Seyfarth, both of them and Tony Sukkar was the same.

"We actually didn't have a lot of people train. We didn't play anywhere near our standard.

"Our heads were not on the job. No excuses though - we got the two points."