GREATER Western Sydney star Sam Taylor says he has little interest in a move back to Western Australia as he gets set for a clash with West Coast in his home state this week.
The 2022 All-Australian full-back was at his brilliant best again on Saturday, on North Melbourne gun Nick Larkey, as the Giants moved to 2-0 for the season and premiership favouritism.
Larkey did finish with three goals, but he managed just the one mark for the game in his direct battle with Taylor, who topped the intercept possession list with 12 for the game, including five contested marks.
It was yet another performance that underlined the 24-year old's value to the Giants and highlighted why a rebuilding West Coast, which is set to be armed with significant salary cap space at the end of the season, may try to lure him home.
That is of little concern to the Bullsbrook product though, as it stands.
"Hopefully I'm re-signed to the Giants by then," Taylor, whose current deal goes through until the end of 2025, told AFL.com.au.
"When we win games and are having fun, they're very low (the interest levels in moving back home)."
"West Coast are a great club though and they have great history and talent coming through in Oscar (Allen) and Harley (Reid) seems pretty good. Hopefully they're going to be a good team in the future," he added.
Taylor was set to match up on the Eagles' new co-captain and star forward Allen on Sunday afternoon at Optus Stadium in what was set be a reunion with his former roommate from the 2017 under-18 WA side, but the Eagles skipper has withdrawn due to injury.
And as he showed against Larkey on Saturday, the bigger the name, the more Taylor tends to lift for the one-on-one battle.
"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."