EMERGING Greater Western Sydney defender Sam Taylor has been rewarded for his consistent season with another contract extension.
Taylor, who was taken with pick 28 at the 2017 NAB AFL draft, had already added an extra year to his original deal, but has now added two more to keep him at the Giants until at least the end of 2022.
The quietly-spoken, yet uncompromising backman impressed in eight games in his debut season until a hamstring injury ended his year, and he's continued his strong development by playing 15 of the 16 matches in 2019.
Sam Taylor kicks his first AFL goal courtesy of a 50m penalty and gets the Giants on the board!#AFLDeesGiants pic.twitter.com/xZkq1c5CRN
— AFL (@AFL) May 26, 2019
He's only 20 but has been given some massive jobs in the Giants' backline and had a good battle with Richmond star Jack Riewoldt at the MCG last week.
Taylor said he's thrived on the responsibility he's been given in the back 50 playing on the opposition's talls alongside co-captain Phil Davis.
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"That’s the great thing about our coaches, I love that they give me the chance to play on these types of guys, so I can develop my own game," he said on Tuesday.
"Jack Riewoldt moves really well in close and he has really good running patterns, so I just had to make sure I stayed on his back.
"He's always on the move so I had to keep my concentration levels up otherwise he'd get me out the back and score on me, so it was good to learn from playing on him.
"I take things from each guy I play on and I love that the club has that trust in me."
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Taylor said he's leant on Davis and Nick Haynes for plenty of advice in his two years in Sydney, and his teammates in the backline have done wonders for his confidence.
"I'm always grabbing them to watch vision with me or asking them for little tips on the training field," he said.
The West Australian admits he found it hard settling into his new lifestyle in Sydney when he first arrived at the club, but he's firmly entrenched now.
"It was tough early on when I got here from Perth, but it's a great family club," Taylor said.
"The boys are so good at getting around you and our welfare group is great so we're in good hands."
Taylor's extension follows the likes of Josh Kelly, Jacob Hopper, Nick Haynes, Adam Kennedy, Harry Himmelberg, Brent Daniels and Matt de Boer at GWS this year.