Taylor was born in Hāwera, New Zealand, and is of Māori Descent.
He played rugby union as a youngster, playing for the Patea Rugby Club and representing age group teams in Taranaki, Northland and Auckland, before taking up rugby league in 2006 while studying at St. Paul's College.[2] Taylor also attended Patea High School and Kaitaia College before moving to Auckland.[3]
Taylor playing for the Warriors under 20s side in 2009
In August 2009, Taylor was to become the eighth player to make his first grade debut from the under-20 side when he was named to play against the Gold Coast Titans in Round 22, but had to withdraw from the game due to a hamstring injury.[5] On 3 October 2010, Taylor captained the Warriors under-20s team in the 2010 Toyota Cup Grand Final against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, where he started at second-row and scored 2 tries in the 42–26 win.[6] Taylor finished his Toyota Cup career with 52 matches and 14 tries.[7]
Taylor finished the 2012 NRL season with 23 matches and 2 tries for the Warriors. On 13 October, he played for New Zealand against Australia in the trans-Tasman test.[15]
2013
On 7 March, Taylor announced that he signed a 4-year deal with the Penrith Panthers, starting from 2014, joining former Warriors' coach Ivan Cleary. Penrith Manager Phil Gould said he had, "been specifically targeted by the club, not only for his elite footballing talent, but also based on his tremendous character and leadership qualities."[16]
Taylor playing for the New Zealand Warriors in 2013
On 19 April, he played in the 2013 Anzac Test, playing off the interchange bench in the 32–12 loss.[17] Taylor finished his last year with the Warriors with 8 tries from 23 matches.
At the end of the year, he was selected in the New Zealand 2013 Rugby League World Cup squad, scoring his first international try in the 56–10 victory over Papua New Guinea at Headingley Stadium.[18][19] On 30 November, Taylor started at lock in the 34–2 loss to Australia in the World Cup Final.[20][21] He played in all six of the Kiwis World Cup matches.
2014
In Round 1, Taylor made his club debut for the Penrith Panthers against the Newcastle Knights, where he started at second-row and scored a try in the Panthers 30–8 win at Penrith Stadium.[22] Taylor missed the 2014 Anzac Test through injury.[23] In Round 21, he suffered a season ending anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury,[24] limiting him to 17 matches for the season.
In round 5 against the North Queensland Cowboys Taylor set the record for most tackles in a nrl game making 77 tackles.
Midway through the season, he was averaging over 50 tackles a game, but was still mentally troubled by his knee reconstruction. "The lack of confidence in my knee goes to my head and sometimes it doesn't feel as strong as it should. I have thoughts of doing it again and the thought of six months of rehab again is scary, they're bad thoughts, and I won't lie they are always there in the back of my mind," he said.[26]
In Round 20 against the Canberra Raiders, Taylor played his 100th career match and also scored a try in the Panthers 34–24 loss at Penrith Stadium.[27] In Round 24 against the St George Illawarra Dragons, Taylor's season was ended due to a hand injury.[28] Taylor finished the 2015 NRL season with 20 matches and a try. On 8 September, he was named in the New Zealand train-on squad for the end of year tour of Great Britain,[29][30] but didn't make the final squad.[31]
2016
Considered a potential captain for Panthers in 2016, Taylor was dropped to the NSW Cup team by new coach Anthony Griffin in favour of rookie James Fisher-Harris.[32] On 2 May, Taylor joined the Wests Tigers effective immediately, after being released from his Panthers contract.[33] Taylor played in 2 matches for the Panthers in 2016 before the shift to the Tigers. Taylor said, "They wanted me to be more aggressive in defence. That's what I was working on. I'm not the one to go out and put on a big shot or whack someone in a tackle. My strength is to consistently be there, wrestle and lead the line speed. But I realised I wasn't going to play first grade even though I thought I had done everything that was asked of me. I was a bit frustrated, but I'm not a person to get angry. I just wanted to play first grade again, so that's why I'm at the Tigers."[34]
In Round 10, Taylor made his club debut for the Wests Tigers against Canterbury-Bankstown, starting at second-row in the 36–4 loss at ANZ Stadium.[35] In his next game, he was named Man of the Match. With part of the game spent playing hooker after an injury to Matt Ballin, He made 50 tackles and set up 2 tries. Captain Aaron Woods said, "He's been really good for our defensive line as well. Just the amount of talk he brings. He's a player I'm really glad we picked him up."[36] In the next game against the Brisbane Broncos , Taylor scored his first try for the Wests Tigers in the 19–18 victory and was named the Man of the Match for the second week in a row.[37]
On 21 November, Taylor re-signed with the Wests Tigers on a one-year deal with a second year option in his favour, that would see him at the club until 2018.
2017
Taking the responsibility of vice-captain, Taylor was a regular in first grade in 2017, with 5 tries from 21 games. He played most of the season at lock, before swapping with Matt Eisenhuth to play in second row later in the year. With 891 tackles, Taylor's was the club's leader and 5th best in the NRL.[38] He was awarded the Kelly-Barnes Medal for the Wests Tigers player of the year.[39]
At season's end, Taylor renewed his contract to remain at the club to the end of 2020. He said, "Ivan coming in as head coach was a big factor in me deciding to stay. He's an experienced coach and has coached me at both the Warriors and Penrith, he's the reason I moved to Australia, knowing what kind of coach he is, what his principles are and the way he likes to play football was probably the biggest factor."[40]
2018
After the departure of Aaron Woods, Taylor was named as one of 5 co-captains at Wests Tigers, alongside Benji Marshall, Chris Lawrence, Russell Packer and Josh Reynolds. Coach Ivan Cleary said, "I just think it's the right model for us right now. When we started this preseason it was pretty obvious straight away that there was no real pecking order. There was no set culture to adhere to. It was all new."[41]
2020
On 28 September 2020, Taylor was one of eight players who were released by the Wests Tigers.[42]
In the 2021 Super League season, Taylor made 14 appearances for Salford as the club finished 11th on the table. The following season, Taylor played 27 games for the club including their 19-12 semi-final loss against St Helens. Taylor then signed a contract to leave Salford with the player joining RFL Championship side Featherstone ahead of the 2023 season.[44]
2023
On 3 Nov 2023 it was reported that he will join Oldham RLFC for the 2024 season on a 2-year deal.[45]
Related Research Articles
Frank Semu Pritchard, also known by the nicknames "Cranky" and "Frank the Tank", is a former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand and Samoa at international level. A second-row, he played in the National Rugby League for Sydney clubs the Penrith Panthers, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Parramatta Eels during the 2000s and 2010s. Pritchard also played in the Super League for English club Hull FC.
James Maloney is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and current assistant coach for the North Queensland Cowboys.
Isaac John is a former New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who previously played for the Mount Pritchard Mounties in the Intrust Super Premiership. A Cook Islands and New Zealand international representative, he played as a five-eighth and halfback and previously played for the New Zealand Warriors and Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League, and the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in the Super League.
Frank-Paul Nu'uausala, also known by the nicknames of "Frank Paul the Wrecking Ball" or "Frank the tank", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer. A New Zealand international representative forward, Nu'uausala most notably played for the Sydney Roosters with whom he won the 2013 NRL Premiership.
Josh Hoffman is a New Zealand international rugby league footballer who plays as wing, centre and fullback for the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup.
James Tamou is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop and represented Australia and the New Zealand Maori at an international level. Tamou spent most of his career with the North Queensland Cowboys and was a member of their 2015 NRL Grand Final winning side
Alex Glenn is a former professional rugby league footballer who captained and played as a second-row and centre for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL. He has played for both the Cook Islands and New Zealand at international level.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL) and New Zealand at international level.
Martin Taupau is a professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Brisbane Broncos as prop and lock and has played for both Samoa and New Zealand at international level.
Dean Whare pronounced (FAR-dEH) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the Pia Donkeys in the Elite One Championship, and New Zealand and the New Zealand Māori at international level.
Josh Mansour is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a winger. He represented Lebanon and Australia at international level.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is a New Zealand dual-code rugby international footballer who currently plays as a centre for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League.
Konileti "Konrad" Hurrell is a Tongan professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for St Helens in the Super League and Tonga at international level.
Peta Hiku is a New Zealand rugby league footballer who plays as a centre, winger and fullback for Hull KR in the Betfred Super League, and New Zealand and the New Zealand Māori at international level.
Suaia Matagi, also known by the nickname of "Sui", is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop forward for Doncaster R.L.F.C. in the RFL Championship. He is both a New Zealand and Samoan international.
Manu Maʻu is a rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Catalans Dragons in the Betfred Super League. He has played for both Tonga and New Zealand at international level.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger or fullback for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL) and New Zealand at international level.
Albert Vete is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop forward for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.
Kodi Nikorima is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth, halfback and fullback for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).
James Fisher-Harris is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop, lock and second-row forward for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL, and New Zealand and the New Zealand Māori at international level. He has won three NRL premiership titles with the Panthers, in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
