NRL 2022: Former million-dollar man Ash Taylor forced into early retirement by hip injury

Million-dollar man Ash Taylor has revealed the true cause of his sudden retirement - and opened up on his rollercoaster time on the Gold Coast.

An inability to play with his children in the park led to Ash Taylor’s decision to immediately retire.

Taylor had been carrying a nagging hip injury since having both his operated on in 2020 but felt he could still play at the top level.

That all changed following his only appearance for the Warriors against his former club the Titans in round two.

“Before the game it was fine,” Taylor said.

“I felt confident. It was after the game that’s when it hit home. General soreness was a thing but what I was feeling was a whole new level. Something I can’t put into words how much pain I was in.

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Taylor underwent surgery on both hips during his time at the Titans. Picture: AAP

“It was coming to a stage I could see opportunities in training and game but my body couldn’t do what my head was telling me to do. That’s what has been most frustrating. I could see things but physically not be able to do it.”

He will avoid an immediate hip replacement but is mindful the surgery may occur down the track. Taylor, 27, officially walked away after meeting with three specialists.

He informed his Warriors teammates of the news on Tuesday morning. The club handed him a lifeline after he was cast aside from the Titans.

“I didn’t think about retiring at all last year,” Taylor said.

“I thought I could go on for another six years. That was the hardest thing. The (osteoarthritis) accelerated fast. I couldn’t keep on top of it.”

Taylor said he had “no regrets” about his career including his million-dollar contract with the Titans which failed to live up to expectations.

An injured Taylor limps off the field. Picture: Darren England

Taylor struggled under the spotlight at the Titans. Picture: Getty

“I’ve had some great times and tough times as well,” Taylor said.

“Without those times I wouldn’t be who I am today and representing myself this well without those times. It’s been a rollercoaster.

“The the time when I came onto the scene footy was my life. I thought it would be my life forever. I would probably tell a young Ash to look at education post-career. I’ve almost finished my certificate four as a teacher’s aid. I’ve had a long time to do that but I kept putting it off because I had footy for a few more years.”

He leaves the game with 116 top grade appearances. Taylor will continue doing some work with the Warriors this season but will relocate to Toowoomba.

He wants to step into a coaching role at some stage.

RETIREMENT SHOCK: MILLION-DOLLAR MAN TO CALL IT QUITS

Ash Taylor’s career is over with the NRL’s former million dollar man set to announce his retirement aged just 27.

The Warriors are bracing for the news that Taylor will quit the game because of injury. A long-term hip issue has finally caught up with Taylor who has been struggling since his one and only appearance for the Warriors in round two.

He first had both hips repaired at the end of the 2020 season and it kept him out for a month last season.

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Injury is set to force Ash Taylor into an early retirement.

It is expected Taylor has played his last game. Warriors coach Nathan Brown confirmed Taylor was facing an up-hill battle.

“He’s definitely been struggling with his hip,” Brown told Fox League.

“He’s been through a number of meetings in the last few weeks.

“(Retirement) is what it looks like it’s going to be unfortunately, for Ash.”

It is a cruel end for Taylor who was once anointed as the game’s next superstar. Matty Johns once described him as potentially a better prospect than his brother Andrew and Johnathan Thurston.

Signed by the Broncos at just 12 after attracting the interests of club scouts, he clean-swept every award as a teen. He left the Broncos after the Titans identified him as the man to lead the franchise out of the doldrums.

Five-time Dally M halfback of the year Cooper Cronk said on Fox League that “he hit the NRL scene with a bang”.

Taylor with Wayne Bennett at the Broncos in 2015.

The day the Broncos under-20 star signed for the Gold Coast Titans.

“He did the flashy things well but fell off towards the back end,” Cronk said.

Premiership winner Benji Marshall added: “It would be a tough way to retire”.

Taylor played one game for the Broncos aged 20 and had won the under-20s player of the year award before joining the Titans in 2016.

After just two seasons as a Titan the club banked their long-term success on his shoulders after they handed him a three-year extension worth about $1 million a season – making him one of the game’s highest paid players.

By that stage he had beaten out the likes of Latrell Mitchell, Nathan Cleary and Suli Vunivalu to win the Dally M rookie of the year award in his first year.

Wayne Bennett wanted Taylor back at the Broncos but he stayed put in a move many predicted would lead the Titans to becoming a top four side.

But Taylor never lived up to the hefty price tag during his six season stint at the Titans resulting in just one finals appearance. He has acknowledged he was not ready for the size of his rich contract.

Taylor moved to the Warriors this year but has only played one game.

The pressure of being the face of the club also hit him hard, too, with the Titans granting Taylor personal leave midway through the 2019 season. He would play just one more game that year.

Taylor looked destined for the rugby league scrap heap at the end of last season when the Titans opted against offering him a new deal.

The once in a generation talent contemplated retirement with his options dwindling. It was the Warriors who handed him a lifeline, but with a catch. He had gone from earning a million dollars to a $1000 per week train and trial contract.

Taylor impressed enough to be given a full-time deal at the Warriors and was signed on for the rest of the season.

He made his only appearance for the club in their round two loss to the Titans before the injury resurfaced

Originally published as NRL 2022: Former million-dollar man Ash Taylor forced into early retirement by hip injury