Taylor return trouble
GOLD Coast coach Craig Hodges has admitted that Ash Taylor wasn’t physically ready to make his NRL return against the Roosters last week.
Taylor was on Thursday withdrawn from the Titans’ team to face St George Illawarra today after returning from a two-month break from first grade in the 58-6 belting by the Roosters.
Hodges says the club had probably made the wrong call bringing Taylor back to face the Roosters at the SCG.
He said returning to training and building up his match fitness in the Queensland Cup was the best approach going forward for the 24-year-old.
“Ash is really keen to play and really excited to get back and try and help his mates but he’s just not quite ready yet,” Hodges said.
“It’s unfair to put him out there when he’s physically not ready.”
Taylor had not played for the Titans since a 6-4 loss to North Queensland in early June after which he was granted indefinite leave to deal with personal issues.
Hodges said the decision to omit Taylor from the Dragons clash wasn’t a mental health issue, purely a football decision.
It’s expected Taylor will return to Intrust Super Cup action for Tweed today against the Ipswich Jets.
With just five matches remaining in the NRL season, Hodges wasn’t sure if Taylor would appear again for the Titans in 2019.
“He just needs a little bit more work. If that happens quickly then he’ll play quickly. If it takes a while then it’ll take a while,” he said. BURLEIGH will tomorrow unleash an Intrust Super Cup debutant earmarked for NRL stardom with the Titans.
Normally a centre, 18-yearold Will Evans will start on the wing when the third-placed Bears face struggling PNG in Port Moresby at 3pm.
Contracted to the Titans, Evans started the season in the under-18 Mal Meninga Cup before climbing up the grades.
“It’s a pretty meteoric rise,” Bears president Damian Driscoll said. “He’s Titans contracted and he’s one of the kids they’re hoping will push through (to NRL). He’s played juniors at Burleigh and … A grade a few weeks ago and acquitted himself pretty well.”
Evans is a former state under-16 rep and also featured in the 2018 NRL Schoolboys Cup national final for PBC.
“There’s no set time frame and there’s nothing sinister behind it, it’s just that we need to hold him back from himself a little bit at the moment until he is right.”
Mitch Rein will replace Nathan Peats (knee injury) at hooker while Tyrone Peachey will slot into five-eighth in place of Taylor.
The Titans also welcome back inspirational lock Jai Arrow from his ankle injury while youngster AJ Brimson returns at fullback with Michael Gordon (hamstring) out.