GULL OF A RETURN
Ash is back – but at a most unlikely venue
ILFRACOMBE will be the obscure site of Gold Coast Titans halfback Ash Taylor’s welcome return to the footy field.
The central Queensland town of about 300 people will act as the ultimate lowpressure environment for the 24-year-old’s first match back since announcing he would take a break from the game in early June.
Taylor will join Mitch Rein, Will Matthews and the rest of Tweed’s Round 18 squad in flying out to Longreach today, a day before their Intrust Super Cup Country Round fixture against the last-placed Central Queensland Capras at Wayne Taylor Oval.
He will play in the halves alongside little-known playmaker Luke Jurd.
Titans executive chairman Dennis Watt confirmed the news with two words that fans have been keenly waiting to hear: “He’s ready.”
“Ash has worked very, very hard with the team that we put around him in the last several weeks and he has ticked every box, worked really hard and has been training really strongly,” Watt said.
“He’s in good shape, he starts out there playing for Tweed against the Capras in Country Week.
“Ash is a country boy from St George so he should feel very much at home in those surroundings … I can’t tell you how excited he is to get his hands back on the footy and be playing in a team in a competitive situation.”
Watt had high praise for Taylor and said it was important for him to not just go out to represent the club and those close to him but also to “play well for his own sake”.
“He has a full array of skills; at his best there’s few playmakers in the game who can actually match it with Ash,” he said.
“I wouldn’t expect anything too spectacular on day one, just so long as he plays confidently and strongly and is happy with his own performance.”
Watt said the club would continue to support their marquee man and called on external voices – fans and the media – to be patient.
“The eyes of the world are very much upon (footy players) and sometimes when other things aren’t going right in your life, the weight of those expectations is magnified so I would just ask for patience,” he said.
“Just remember he’s a very decent young man who is giving it his best for this club and for this game of ours.”
Sporting a moustache, Taylor trained well yesterday, embracing Titans teammates, running the ball and being vocal around the paddock.
Veteran fullback Michael Gordon said those good signs had not gone unnoticed: “He’s back around the boys and he looks happy.”