Elijah Taylor

Making a big impact on the field and in the eyes of fans, Wests Tigers fans are rapt that veteran forward Elijah Taylor will continue his time with the club after signing a new 3-year deal.

Taylor, currently the Wests Tigers vice captain, has donned the club colours on 36 occasions and has played in 142 NRL games to date.

As he gets older and more experienced, every deal becomes more crucial and for Taylor, the chance to continue working under Ivan Cleary – who also coached him at both the New Zealand Warriors & Penrith Panthers – was too good to pass up.

“It was definitely a decision that I took my time with as I’m getting older now but I’m really happy that it’s done now,” said Taylor. “Ivan coming in as Head Coach was a big factor in me deciding to stay. He’s an experienced coach and has coached me at both the Warriors and Penrith, he’s the reason I moved to Australia, knowing what kind of coach he is, what his principles are and the way he likes to play football was probably the biggest factor.

“Ivan coming in as Head Coach was a big factor in me deciding to stay. He’s an experienced coach and has coached me at both the Warriors and Penrith; he’s the reason I moved to Australia and knowing what kind of coach he is, what his principles are and the way he likes to play football was probably the biggest factor.

In somewhat of a rebuilding phase with numerous key departures, Taylor believes that the side is headed in the right direction and wants to be a part of the club’s endeavours moving forward.

“We’re building a good culture here at Wests Tigers and I’m really looking forward to the next three years,” he said. “I’m really excited about the future here, there are a lot of new faces coming, we’re really building something special. I’ve played with a lot of the players coming and it’s going to be good for the club and good for our young players coming through. You want to have older guys come in and show the younger players the ropes, make them understand what it takes to play first grade every week.

“I’m really excited about the future here, there are a lot of new faces coming, we’re really building something special. I’ve played with a lot of the players coming and it’s going to be good for the club and good for our young players coming through. You want to have older guys come in and show the younger players the ropes, make them understand what it takes to play first grade every week.

I’ve played with a lot of the players coming and it’s going to be good for the club and good for our young players coming through. You want to have older guys come in and show the younger players the ropes, make them understand what it takes to play first grade every week.

You want to have older guys come in and show the younger players the ropes, make them understand what it takes to play first grade every week.”

Now seen as one of the more experienced campaigners of the Tigers side, Taylor looks forward to passing on his wisdom and experience with the younger generation at the club.

“You learn a lot as you go on your journey in your career, I’ve learnt a lot being through the Warriors and Penrith systems,” said Taylor.

“I’ve seen a lot on and off the field, probably those things off the field have made me a lot smarter and wiser in decision making and I have a lot of experience that I can pass on to the younger guys coming through here at Wests Tigers.”

Taylor drew praise from coach Ivan Cleary who knows how good of a player he is.

“Elijah is a player that others love to play alongside,” said Cleary. “No task is beneath him and he always puts the team before himself.

“Our fans can look forward to seeing Elijah’s game blossom in the coming years, Elijah will play a pivotal role in the future of the Wests Tigers,” he said.

By ricky

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.