OFFICIAL Elijah Taylor [Discussion]
- Thread starter MightyTiger
- Start date
I really like the extra dimension ET adds to our attack and his defence in the centre is second to none. The concern I have with our forward pack is aggression and size. Lawrence isn't a huge back rower either and Halatu off the bench is small. Woods is a good meter eater as is Sue but I wouldn't describe any of these guys as aggressive. We need a couple of big mongrels to compliment these guys. I think that was real evident against Easts. PS -I think Grant was good for the first two rounds and than dropped off.
Masterton
Well-known member
@Patts said:
When we were under the pump against the Broncos early, it was Grant taking all the dirty hit-ups. We need players like that, who step UP for a challenge.
Taupau was a good foil for Woods. Aggro with short minutes. Although I can understand why we let him go, we need another bully like Carter or Nathan Brown.
stevetiger
New member
@Masterton said:
Yep. Woods doesn't have a lot of impact and he isn't a game changer. Taupau can turn a game and has an impact.
goldcoast_tiger
New member
@Patts said:
Yeah, what's happened to him, I had reservations about signing him, but he was better than I thought he'd be, but hestarted to drop off again, does he have an ongoing injury.
mike
Well-known member
He is going great. Work rate is very high and deserves his spot in first grade.
WestsSupporter
New member
Just wait guys he will eventually catch the concord disease and either move to another club for treatment or run with it and become mediocre.
He's good..
@Love the WestsTigers said:
He's been great and a 2 or 3 year contract would be good to keep him here. I know what you mean regarding a drop off in intensity from some players after signing decent contracts. This shouldn't be the case but it does happen, and too often at this club. Maybe we just sign duds with attitude problems, I don't know. It's hard to tell which players will end up like that. Blair was the worst of those cases I would think, don't need a disaster like that again..
But yeah, highly doubt ET is anything like that, seems very professional. Hopefully JT leaves him in preferred positions now and not all over the shop like last weekend.
supercoach
Well-known member
We rarely sign seasoned hard nosed pros that is why we struggle and ET is a pro
Yeh, pro is what came to my mind when I read the thread title.
He has a lot between the ears too, not just as a footballer, i watched quite a few video interviews of him when I heard we signed him…comes across very well and knowledgeable
He has a lot between the ears too, not just as a footballer, i watched quite a few video interviews of him when I heard we signed him…comes across very well and knowledgeable
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Guest
Guest
Elijah Taylor loving life at the Wests Tigers
June 22, 2016 - 6:00PM
James Lemon
Elijah Taylor is relishing a mid-season switch to the Wests Tigers and is loving having a leadership role at his new club.
The ex-Panthers forward, with 111 NRL games under his belt, brings experience to a squad that has played relatively little first-grade football.
The back-rower fell out of favour at Penrith earlier this season which reportedly prompted interest from the Sydney Roosters, but he initially resisted any move to focus on regaining his first-grade spot instead.
The 10-Test New Zealand international representative said taking the younger players at Concord Oval under his wing was the main reason he came to the Tigers.
"[Coach Jason Taylor] wanted some more leadership because, obviously, we've got a really young team – really young as in NRL games each," he said. "That was the first pitch, the leadership role. It's something I'm very comfortable with and something I've done over my career.
"It's really exciting working with the young talent here. There's a lot of talent here, it's unbelievable actually. As a senior player you need to do everything right. You need to make sure you're doing everything right so hopefully [the less experienced players] can follow."
The 26-year-old said the energy of the younger group was a positive for the entire playing group, including the old heads.
"They've got a lot of enthusiasm and it rubs off on a lot of the boys. It's really refreshing when you see them training," he said. "They're freakish – freakish skills, but just the enthusiasm they bring kind of lightens the mood."
The immediate boost the lock has given to the side isn't lost on his teammates. Winger David Nofoaluma said Taylor's performances on the field speak for themselves.
"Since he's come to our side he's made a difference and you can see that on the field," Nofoaluma said.
"I don't really have to say much about that, you just have to watch him perform and you can just tell. He does well for the team and makes a massive impact."
Taylor puts his rise in form down to the faith the coaching staff put in him each week.
"The game plan tells me I have to get the ball, so it's a great sign of confidence from the coach and the coaching staff," he said.
"As a player, sometimes all you need is backing from the coach and the confidence from the coach to get you to execute a game plan."
Taylor was also very positive about the culture at the Tigers, contrary to the seemingly constant drama that surrounds the side involving the at-times strained relationship between the coach and NSW hooker Robbie Farah.
"Everyone get's their say. At video sessions it's a discussion, it's not 'do this, do that, do this'," he said.
"The boys have input. All the players are brought in because we've helped make the game plan, and that's the culture they want to build here."
June 22, 2016 - 6:00PM
James Lemon
Elijah Taylor is relishing a mid-season switch to the Wests Tigers and is loving having a leadership role at his new club.
The ex-Panthers forward, with 111 NRL games under his belt, brings experience to a squad that has played relatively little first-grade football.
The back-rower fell out of favour at Penrith earlier this season which reportedly prompted interest from the Sydney Roosters, but he initially resisted any move to focus on regaining his first-grade spot instead.
The 10-Test New Zealand international representative said taking the younger players at Concord Oval under his wing was the main reason he came to the Tigers.
"[Coach Jason Taylor] wanted some more leadership because, obviously, we've got a really young team – really young as in NRL games each," he said. "That was the first pitch, the leadership role. It's something I'm very comfortable with and something I've done over my career.
"It's really exciting working with the young talent here. There's a lot of talent here, it's unbelievable actually. As a senior player you need to do everything right. You need to make sure you're doing everything right so hopefully [the less experienced players] can follow."
The 26-year-old said the energy of the younger group was a positive for the entire playing group, including the old heads.
"They've got a lot of enthusiasm and it rubs off on a lot of the boys. It's really refreshing when you see them training," he said. "They're freakish – freakish skills, but just the enthusiasm they bring kind of lightens the mood."
The immediate boost the lock has given to the side isn't lost on his teammates. Winger David Nofoaluma said Taylor's performances on the field speak for themselves.
"Since he's come to our side he's made a difference and you can see that on the field," Nofoaluma said.
"I don't really have to say much about that, you just have to watch him perform and you can just tell. He does well for the team and makes a massive impact."
Taylor puts his rise in form down to the faith the coaching staff put in him each week.
"The game plan tells me I have to get the ball, so it's a great sign of confidence from the coach and the coaching staff," he said.
"As a player, sometimes all you need is backing from the coach and the confidence from the coach to get you to execute a game plan."
Taylor was also very positive about the culture at the Tigers, contrary to the seemingly constant drama that surrounds the side involving the at-times strained relationship between the coach and NSW hooker Robbie Farah.
"Everyone get's their say. At video sessions it's a discussion, it's not 'do this, do that, do this'," he said.
"The boys have input. All the players are brought in because we've helped make the game plan, and that's the culture they want to build here."
G
Guest
Guest
Settled Elijah praises JT's approach to attack
Chris Kennedy Thu 23 Jun, 2016, 7:00am
National Correspondent , NRL.com
Former Panthers lock Elijah Taylor says a licence to get his hands on the ball more under Wests Tigers coach Jason Taylor is helping him flourish after leaving Penrith mid-season.
The 12th-placed Tigers are now just one win out of the top eight, having won three of five games Elijah Taylor has played since leaving the foot of the mountains for Concord, and he says his attacking licence – which he had been honing in the Instrust Super Premiership at Penrith this year – has helped him produce the sort of form his coach was looking for when he was recruited.
"It's a credit to the coaching staff and the players that have really made me feel welcome," said the former Kiwi international after producing three try assists and try in five games to go with his regular defensive workload of 38 tackles per game.
"They've been very welcoming and supportive, they've helped the transition and I think that's the reflected in the way the team's performed.
"[My attack] is something that I've worked on a lot back in the reserve grade at Penrith. Credit to 'JT' and the coaching staff for giving me I suppose the licence to get my hands on the ball.
"The game plan tells me I have to get the ball so it's a great sign of confidence from the coaching staff and as a player sometimes that's all you need is the backing from the coach and that confidence from the coach to get you to execute the game plan he gives you."
Taylor said he had started to work on his ball-playing last year under former coach Ivan Cleary while at the Panthers, along with half Jamie Soward and ball-playing back-rower Bryce Cartwright.
"It really depends on the coaching style and what the coach wants from his 13\. Some coaches want a ball-playing 13 or some coaches want another prop for the middle. It really depends on the coach's preference.
"Obviously JT's preference is for the lock to be a ball player so it's a massive learning curve, I'm still learning a lot. I'm learning a lot off [Tigers assistant coach] Craig Sandercock who's a really good coach and I'm very grateful."
Taylor suggested his current coach and former mentor Cleary were similar in their approach.
"[JT] is very similar to Ivan. It's very much like a democracy on how the game plans are written, the culture at the club. Everybody gets their say in video sessions. It's a discussion, it's not 'do this do that'. That's the culture they want to build here. So they're very similar in style, JT and Ivan Cleary."
Though he didn't mention current Penrith coach Anthony Griffin, Taylor said the culture at the Tigers in the way they train and the open nature of video sessions compares favourably to his former club.
"It's very different, the clubs, culture-wise," he said.
"The players have a lot of say here in how we prepare for games, how we train, our preparation. Some clubs you have to do it this way and this way only.
"I suppose that's the biggest difference – the players get a lot of say here. Personally as a player I think that's really good because the players are the ones that are going out there so between the clubs that's probably the biggest difference."
Chris Kennedy Thu 23 Jun, 2016, 7:00am
National Correspondent , NRL.com
Former Panthers lock Elijah Taylor says a licence to get his hands on the ball more under Wests Tigers coach Jason Taylor is helping him flourish after leaving Penrith mid-season.
The 12th-placed Tigers are now just one win out of the top eight, having won three of five games Elijah Taylor has played since leaving the foot of the mountains for Concord, and he says his attacking licence – which he had been honing in the Instrust Super Premiership at Penrith this year – has helped him produce the sort of form his coach was looking for when he was recruited.
"It's a credit to the coaching staff and the players that have really made me feel welcome," said the former Kiwi international after producing three try assists and try in five games to go with his regular defensive workload of 38 tackles per game.
"They've been very welcoming and supportive, they've helped the transition and I think that's the reflected in the way the team's performed.
"[My attack] is something that I've worked on a lot back in the reserve grade at Penrith. Credit to 'JT' and the coaching staff for giving me I suppose the licence to get my hands on the ball.
"The game plan tells me I have to get the ball so it's a great sign of confidence from the coaching staff and as a player sometimes that's all you need is the backing from the coach and that confidence from the coach to get you to execute the game plan he gives you."
Taylor said he had started to work on his ball-playing last year under former coach Ivan Cleary while at the Panthers, along with half Jamie Soward and ball-playing back-rower Bryce Cartwright.
"It really depends on the coaching style and what the coach wants from his 13\. Some coaches want a ball-playing 13 or some coaches want another prop for the middle. It really depends on the coach's preference.
"Obviously JT's preference is for the lock to be a ball player so it's a massive learning curve, I'm still learning a lot. I'm learning a lot off [Tigers assistant coach] Craig Sandercock who's a really good coach and I'm very grateful."
Taylor suggested his current coach and former mentor Cleary were similar in their approach.
"[JT] is very similar to Ivan. It's very much like a democracy on how the game plans are written, the culture at the club. Everybody gets their say in video sessions. It's a discussion, it's not 'do this do that'. That's the culture they want to build here. So they're very similar in style, JT and Ivan Cleary."
Though he didn't mention current Penrith coach Anthony Griffin, Taylor said the culture at the Tigers in the way they train and the open nature of video sessions compares favourably to his former club.
"It's very different, the clubs, culture-wise," he said.
"The players have a lot of say here in how we prepare for games, how we train, our preparation. Some clubs you have to do it this way and this way only.
"I suppose that's the biggest difference – the players get a lot of say here. Personally as a player I think that's really good because the players are the ones that are going out there so between the clubs that's probably the biggest difference."
happy_tiger
Well-known member
I don't know why , but I'm just not confident we will re-sign him , we desperately want to no doubt , just have this feeling …..........
Hope I'm wrong
Hope I'm wrong
We still haven't seen the best of ET yet,but when we do,he will be the standout recruit that this forward pack really needs..his attitude and work rate are very good,once he completely settles in his leadership will be quality….I'm glad he is a WTs man,we need players like him....
Tigerdave
Well-known member
@willow said:
hmmm but from the outside, that's been a problem for us, some players having TOO much say.
Anyway, glad he's happy here, be even better if they sign him up.
