Elijah Taylor loving life at the Wests Tigers
James Lemon
Published: June 22, 2016 - 6:00PM
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."
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...life-at-the-wests-tigers-20160622-gpp4d2.html
