Hull KR new boy Tyrone May ready to become leader and complete turnaround from dark days

But that is exactly what Tyrone May did when he ended his two-year stay at Catalans Dragons for a new adventure with Hull KR on the banks of the Humber.

The Australian has encountered some raised eyebrows over the move but he has no regrets about swapping Perpignan for Craven Park.

"I'm pretty easy going," May told The Yorkshire Post.

"A lot of people were like 'Why are you moving to Hull?' but I come from Mount Druitt so am not too bothered with where I live. A lot of people have an opinion on my area back home so being here, it's just what you make of it.

"It is a change of pace from the south of France which is beautiful. The last couple of years, I didn't really see much rain. It does get windy but it was pretty much sunny the whole time.

"It's a different challenge here and I'm looking forward to it."

May won the NRL title with Penrith Panthers and reached the Super League Grand Final during his time at the Dragons, only to fall short against Wigan Warriors in last year's Old Trafford showpiece.

After serving his apprenticeship under some of the best minds in the game, May felt it was the right time to step out of his comfort zone and take on more responsibility.

"It was the challenge of being a leader," he replied when asked what attracted him to Rovers.

"I was at that point in my career where I've played with some great half-backs. At the Panthers, I had Nath (Cleary) and Romy (Jarome Luai), and Sammy T (Tomkins) and Mitch Pearce at Catalans.

"I've been able to take bits and pieces off them and now I've got the opportunity to come here to help Mikey (Lewis) with his development.

"He's an electric player and a strong ball carrier so the more space and time I can give him, the better off we'll be as a team.

"That was one of the things that excited me. It's still taking me time to adjust because I forget sometimes that I'm nearly 28 and not 21 again.

"I love to have fun. It's just about reeling it in when we have to and being able to control the boys and make them have the confidence in me that I'm saying and doing the right things."

May knows all about the potential pitfalls after struggling with disciplinary issues during his time in the NRL.

The playmaker narrowly avoided jail and was sentenced to 300 hours of community service plus a three-year community corrections order over sex tapes filmed without consent.

The following year in 2021, May's contract was terminated by Penrith following a "serious breach of his contractual obligations" in relation to a social media post in the wake of the club's Grand Final victory.

A change of environment in Super League has helped the 27-year-old mature and put those mistakes behind him.

"I've been able to find myself as a person and realise who I am," said May.

"I'm not a product of my past. It's about adapting and becoming a little bit better every day on and off the field."

A standout performer for Catalans last season, May will be looked at to take the Robins to the next level.

Having tasted success with Penrith and gone close as a Dragon, the half-back is convinced that KR have the ingredients required to win trophies.

"I really do," said May.

"They train it, they install it, we talk about it and now it's about putting it into action and taking that next step.

"We want to win silverware but every team wants to win something. It's not going to come easy. We've got to control what we can control and have a crack every week."

May and his fellow new signings are facing a baptism of fire in next week's Hull derby at the MKM Stadium.

It did not take long for the Sydney native to be introduced to the rivalry.

"When I was doing my apartment stuff, two lovely ladies helped me out," said May.

"One was a KR fan and one was an FC fan. They were bickering about it but it's all in the love of the sport.

"I'm excited to hear the noise. The one thing I know about the fans over here is they're a lot more vocal than the crowds back home, even though you get more people there.

"It's great for the sport to have these rivalries, especially over here, and to have that talk about it because it just brings more eyes to the game of rugby league."

No stranger to big games, May has stressed the importance of keeping cool heads in a red-hot atmosphere.

"There's a lot of talk around town but we've got to shut out the outside noise and focus on what works for us," he added.

"Any team wants to start off well in round one and send a message to the rest of the comp but we've got to make sure we don't get overexcited and do things we wouldn't normally do."