Taylor happy to wait
ASH Taylor has all but written off his chances of becoming a Maroons bolter if Johnathan Thurston is unable to overcome his shoulder injury in time for State of Origin, despite statistics showing he would be far from out of his depth.
The Cowboys yesterday confirmed Thurston would avoid surgery but he is racing time to be fit for Queensland’s Origin opener on May 31, desperate to maintain his unbroken record of service since making his debut in Game One of 2005.
While incumbent utility Michael Morgan will retain his position, Manly’s Daly Cherry-Evans and Brisbane’s Anthony Milford are frontrunners to be added to the squad if JT is unavailable.
Taylor is regarded as a long-term replacement for Thurston or Cooper Cronk but there’s no doubt Queensland coach Kevin Walters will give thought to fasttracking his rise and Taylor believes he would be up to the task.
And statistics gained exclusively by the Bulletin from Fox Sports show he would be far from out of his depth.
The 22-year-old, named the NRL’s rookie of the year last season, has taken his game to a new level and leads the league in try assists as he shows himself to be one of the best opportunity-makers for his teammates.
He compares well with Milford and Cherry-Evans, leading the pair in possessions per game, linebreak assists, try assists, kicks per game and kick metres.
Milford easily leads the pack in metres per game, line breaks, tackle busts and offloads but also has by far the most errors of the trio.
Cherry-Evans is the most reliable defender, making just over 23 tackles a game – almost double the load of Taylor and Milford, while he makes the fewest misses a game.
And the Manly half has an ace up his sleeve in the eight Origin games he played between 2013-2015.
Taylor believes he is at the back of the line.
“I’m only young and I’m only new to the NRL,” he said.
“Those guys (CherryEvans and Milford) are playing out of their skins but if I do get called into the squad it’d be a massive achievement for myself.
“Just to play alongside … I call them my heroes because they’ve always been my heroes growing up.
“I’ve always loved Queensland and I’m a proud Queensland man, so if I did get the call just to come into camp, it’d be a massive achievement for me.”
Thurston may be in danger of missing out but he can claim some of the credit for Taylor’s rapid rise.
He gave the youngster what amounted to a fly-onthelook at his preparation for a major event when the pair roomed together ahead of the Indigenous All Stars match this year.
Speaking at the launch of the NRL’s indigenous round in Sydney yesterday, Taylor said he learnt plenty on and off the field.
“He’s great off the field and he’s a serious competitor on the field,” Taylor said of Thurston.
“That’s just him and that’s why he’s one of the best in the game at the moment.”
Taylor was in line to be called into camp as a training player last year but the Titans vetoed the move because of concerns he could aggravate a groin problem that eventually needed surgery.
But with Taylor now fit, he hopes even if he misses out on a call-up, he may get the chance to experience Camp Maroon when Walters’ men train on the Gold Coast.
“Just to be a part of it would be an amazing experience and hopefully it does come true, if not this year, then hopefully in the future,” he said.