Taylor up for the test

TITANS halfback Ash Taylor has spoken of his mission to live up to his $3 million contract after bouncing back from the lowest point of his career.

Taylor is racing to prove his fitness for tomorrow’s Round 1 NRL clash against Canberra at Cbus Super Stadium after being struck down by illness and injury.

The Gold Coast No.7 has been battling a virus and thigh injury this week and needs to pass a fitness test at training this morning to be cleared to face the Raiders.

Taylor will celebrate his 24th birthday tomorrow and would love nothing more than to kick off the Gold Coast’s 2019 NRL campaign with a victory on home soil.

Taylor is in the first year of a $1 million-a-season contract, making him the Gold Coast’s highest-paid player and one of the NRL’s elite earners.

Taylor said last year was the toughest of his blossoming career, but he was ready to live up to the hype.

“I want to improve on last year, I started well last year and faded away a little bit,” Taylor said. “There was a lot of pressure on me to perform and I took that on.

“It was just a slump in my career. I’ve never been that low in my career before and it was tough trying to pick it back up.

“I need to do a better job this year. I’m better for it. I’m more experienced and have had another pre-season under my belt where I have trained my backside off.”

Taylor has stripped 5kg under the Gold Coast’s new fitness regimen and is better prepared for the rigours of the NRL than ever.

But despite his lofty salary, the former Brisbane Broncos junior is adamant he cannot carry the Titans on his own.

The return of close friend Tyrone Roberts in the No. 6 jersey has alleviated some of the pressure on Taylor, and the Gold Coast has recruited well with NSW Origin utility Tyrone Peachey another attacking threat.

“You can’t really go well if the rest of the team ain’t going well,” Taylor said.

“There are 13 players out on that field, people forget that. People tend to make mistakes and that’s part of the game.”