Darren Lockyer: Ashley Taylor is still a year away from Origin contention
AFTER Ashley Taylor’s classy performance against the Raiders last weekend, there has been a push for the Titans half to play State of Origin this year. But Queensland selector Darren Lockyer says he needs to wait his turn.
Opinion
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THE Queensland scrumbase is vacant and the audition for the No.6 and No.7 jumpers will heat up over the next few weeks.
The contenders are plentiful. Michael Morgan, Daly Cherry-Evans, Corey Norman, Ben Hunt, Anthony Milford, Cameron Munster and Ashley Taylor are just some of the names that will be thrown up in the build-up to State of Origin I at the MCG.
There is a big push for Taylor to play Origin this season.
The Titans halfback was classy against the Raiders on Sunday and I’m disappointed injury has robbed him of the opportunity to test himself against Warriors wizard Shaun Johnson today at Mt Smart Stadium.
It just happens to be Taylor’s 23rd birthday today.
It is an intriguing age in an NRL context because it marks a period where a playmaker, such as Taylor, must leap from boom young talent to hardening first-grader capable of shaping the outcome of matches.
Right now, I would predict Taylor is still a season away from an Origin debut.
Up to Taylor to prove me wrong though. Like former Titan Scott Prince, who took seven seasons to play Origin, he needs to understand the journey to wearing Maroon and the importance of finetuning the natural deficiencies in any young player’s game.
When you start talking about any player in an Origin sense, natural talent is only one facet.
There are other critical variables. Can a player defend well under fatigue? Are they limiting their mistakes with the football? They are the factors a player needs to address to be Origin-ready.
Taylor is definitely part of Queensland’s succession planning.
Coach Kevin Walters has already introduced Taylor to camps to expose him to the Maroons’ culture, but he needs to be consistent each week at the Titans and learn to play with patience and do his job in defence.
One of the roles of the Titans’ new coach, Garth Brennan, over the next two years is to work closely with Taylor to ensure he plays with more discipline.
There’s no doubt Taylor is a natural-born footballer.
He has a magnificent deft touch and reads the game well, but it’s rare to find an emerging halfback who can string together weeks of error-free football.
Penrith’s Nathan Cleary, still just 20, is probably the best young playmaker in the code at minimising mistakes.
The Titans’ clash with the Warriors will be an interesting barometer of Gold Coast’s character as a football team.
I like what I saw from the Titans in their epic 30-28 defeat of Canberra last round.
Sure, the first 15 minutes were a defensive disaster, but the side showed great spirit to overturn an 18-0 deficit.
Without Taylor today, it’s important his halves partner, Kane Elgey, steps up.
Elgey is 24 but whereas Taylor is confident by nature, he appears down on confidence.
His knee reconstruction two years ago set him back and mentally, it’s never easy to step back into the arena with the same swagger.
New recruit Blake Green is a superb foil for Johnson at the Warriors and Elgey can take a leaf from his playmaking book.
For the Titans to be a top-eight contender this season, they need the Elgey-Taylor scrumbase combination to complement one another.
Too many Titans teams in recent years have lacked consistency. It’s important the Titans have a red-hot crack today because the Warriors look fitter and Green gives them more composure.
Most importantly, though, in the face of a big challenge, the Titans need to show character.
Originally published as Darren Lockyer: Ashley Taylor is still a year away from Origin contention
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