Taylor is hitting and now sticking
emma.greenwood@news.com.au STATISTICS show Ashley Taylor has rebounded from his defensive low point to become a reliable tackler after fears he could be little more than a turnstile in the halves.
A rueful Taylor addressed teammates vowing to do better after missing nine tackles – as many as he made in the match – in the Titans’ 42-16 drubbing by Canberra in Round 6.
The young playmaker, whose 90kg frame is regularly targeted by rival forwards, said the Raiders match provided a wake-up call he had to improve if he was to avoid becoming a liability for the Titans.
And statistics show that has been the case, with Taylor improving markedly in the three games since, including against a monster Sharks pack at Cronulla, where he made 23 tackles and missed just three.
Taylor missed 29 tackles at an average of just over three per game in the opening six rounds of the competition, including a match-high nine against the Raiders.
But in clashes against Brisbane, Cronulla and Newcastle, the reigning rookie of the year has let just four players slip through his fingers and kept a clean sheet in the weekend’s 38-8 victory against the Knights.
“Obviously I did stand up in front of the team (after the Canberra game) and said: ‘that’s not me, that’s not how I want to be and that’s not the person I want to be’,’’ Taylor said.
“I did work hard at training and it was just a big wake-up call for me, that game and I’ll just try and get better week-in, week-out.”
“Hit and stick” has become Taylor’s motto as he attempts to make a nuisance of himself against the league’s biggest forwards until the Titans’ cavalry arrives.
“I just wanted to start hitting a lot harder than I was,’’ Taylor said.
“The first few rounds I was hitting but I wasn’t sticking and that’s what I’ve been doing the last few weeks – trying to hit and stick and be a big body in the line.”
Taylor knows he and Kane Elgey – who also struggled with misses early in the season before his best showing of the year against the Knights on Saturday – will remain in the crosshairs of rivals.
“That’s everyone’s tactic to try to get at the littler men on the field and try to get good momentum,’’ he said.
“So we’ve just got to try to be a big body in the line and try to do our job for the team and get our bodies in front until the other men come and help us.”
While the pair will rest this weekend, their new-found defensive starch will be tested against Melbourne at Suncorp Stadium in Round 10.