CASHING IN
TITANS coach Garth Brennan has given Ash Taylor a stinging reality check, demanding the club’s $3 million man “step up” if he wants to be the next Johnathan Thurston.
In a no-nonsense assess- ment, Brennan took aim at his spluttering scrumbase and called for Taylor to “walk the walk” in the wake of a winless and error-riddled pre-season.
Taylor launched his campaign against the Warriors on Saturday night, but the classy No. 7 and halves cohort Kane Elgey were comprehensively outplayed by rival pair Shaun Johnson and Blake Green.
Taylor was trumpeted as the halfback whiz that could turn the Titans into a force when he signed a three-year extension last October and Brennan says it’s time to deliver bang for his buck.
While the 22-year-old scored a solo try against the Warriors, his last-play options were erratic in a 20-14 loss, prompting Brennan to issue a firm edict to the Queensland Origin hopeful.
“Ash has to control,” he said.
“If he is going to put his hand out for it (the money), you have to walk the walk.
“With Ash, he’s got all the accolades and the salary, but start taking he needs to start stepping up and owning this football team.
“He did it in patches (against the Warriors), but when you ask your halfback to own the football team, he has to do it for 80 minutes.
“Kane (Elgey) needs to buy into that as well.”
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