Dedication of Taylor gets Titans great’s tick
ASH Taylor’s long-term commitment to the Titans is a major coup for long-suffering Gold Coast NRL fans, Mat Rogers believes.
Since establishing themselves as title contenders in 2009 and 2010, it’s been a barren period for the club, filled with more scandals than successes.
But with Taylor joining the likes of Ryan James, Kevin Proctor and Nathan Peats in signing until at least 2020, things are finally looking up.
“He has toughed it out with a struggling side and seems to be a guy that people will get behind in terms of a player group supporting someone, so I think it is a wonderful job by the club to have signed him,” Rogers said.
“Let’s just hope it means a brighter future for the club, because things haven’t been great.”
Taylor, 22, will join an exclusive group of million-dollar men in the NRL with his three-year extension through to the end of 2021 and Rogers feels such riches are well warranted.
“There’s no question, that’s what the good halves are getting nowadays and if you don’t pay them that, you’re going to lose them,” he said.
“I think he deserves every cent of it and I think they can build a good club around him … he can develop into a player similar to a Cooper Cronk.”
One area Rogers has been particularly impressed by with 47-gamer Taylor is the way he has performed at a level beyond his years.
“He was sort of forced into a situation where he had to take a significant leadership role in the side, probably before you would want a player of his age to have that responsibility, but he didn’t shirk it,” he said.