Sam Taylor, who will be free agent at the end of 2025, is content with the Giants
The 2022 All-Australian full-back was at his brilliant best again on Saturday, taking on North Melbourne gun Nick Larkey as the Giants moved to 2-0 for the season and premiership favouritism. GREATER Western Sydney star Sam Taylor says he has little interest in moving back to Western Australia as he gets ready for a clash with West Coast in his home state this week.
Although Larkey finished with three goals, he only had one mark throughout the game in his immediate opponent Taylor, who led the team in intercept possession with twelve, including five disputed marks. The 24-year-old’s performance once again demonstrated his importance to the Giants and the reasons a rebuilding West Coast team, which will have a sizable amount of salary cap room at the end of the season, would want to entice him back home.
However, as things are, the Bullsbrook product is not too concerned about that. Taylor’s current contract expires at the end of 2025. “Hopefully I’m re-signed to the Giants by then,” Taylor stated to AFL.com.au.
“When we win games and are having fun, they’re very low (the interest levels in moving back home).” “Despite everything, West Coast is a fantastic club with a rich history and promising new members in Oscar Allen and Harley Reid. I’m hoping they’ll make a strong squad in the future,” he continued. In what was supposed to be a reunion with his old flatmate from the 2017 under-18 WA squad, Taylor was scheduled to take on the Eagles’ new co-captain and star striker Allen on Sunday afternoon at Optus Stadium. However, the Eagles captain has withdrew due to injury.
And Taylor tends to get up for the one-on-one matchup more when the bigger names are involved, as he demonstrated against Larkey on Saturday. “I love big challenges, big names, and great forwards. I probably shouldn’t but I get up (for it) a lot more,” Taylor said.
“It’s great trying to challenge yourself. Just coming against great forwards, they always have a few tricks and I like learning from those tricks.
“I’m happy to be the tough guy and if you want to be physical, I’ll be physical. I’m pretty chill, but saying that if we start losing, I do get pretty pissed off.”
A Taylor army of family and friends will be in attendance in the west on the weekend to watch him in the flesh at Optus Stadium, a stadium they have only won once at in nine attempts.
It’s a startling statistic for a side that has been in the finals in four of the six seasons during which the venue has held AFL games, including a loss for the Giants to the eventual wooden-spooner in West Coast in round two last season.
That will be fresh in the mind of coach Adam Kingsley, who was rather displeased with his side’s first half against North Melbourne as it took a 19-point lead into half-time despite having more than double the scoring shots.
“He was definitely more angry than usual,” Taylor said.
“Personally, I was very disappointed in the first half. It wasn’t how we want to play. We weren’t tough enough and our effort wasn’t there. Against better teams we will be punished a lot harder.”
That had nothing to do with complacency from the Giants though, according to the leader of their back six.
“Probably everyone not being complacent (has pleased him the most),” he said.
“It’s great coming out and winning the first two games, especially against the reigning premiers and then showing up again and winning.
“There’s been a huge expectation on us. But the group is confident within and internally we know we can go the whole way.
“That’s the positive thing, going out and winning and not just thinking it’ll happen, just by showing up. Even though on the weekend where we did let a few goals through and we probably weren’t tough enough, it’s probably another positive, how there’s still a lot more to improve on.”
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