Ash Taylor can rival Johnathan Thurston and Andrew Johns in NRL halfback hall of fame

MATTHEW JOHNS: Three years ago I wrote Johnathan Thurston would surpass my brother Andrew as the greatest halfback of all time. Ash Taylor has the potential to rival them.

THREE years ago I wrote that in the following 12 months Johnathan Thurston would surpass my dear brother Andrew as the greatest halfback the game has seen.

It pissed a lot of people off, including members of my own dysfunctional family.

Ring, Ring!

“Hello.”

“Matthew, it’s your mum. Do you really think Johnathan Thurston is going to be better than Andrew?”

“Well, Mum……”

“You’re wrong, Matt. Anyway your father wants a word.”

“Matt, you’re kidding, aren’t ya?”

“Dad, look …”

“Pig’s ass Matthew.”

Click!

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Ash Taylor looks like a superstar in the making. Photo: Adam Head

I never got a phone call from Andrew, in fact I didn’t hear from him for six months.

Each year the game improves, as do the men who play it, and that includes the influential No.7s of the NRL.

They once said there’d never be another, like the great Dragons half Billy Smith, and then came the likes of Turvey and Sterlo. Then arrives Greg Alexander, Ricky Stuart and Queensland champion Allan Langer.

But then Joey surpasses Alf and yes, Thurston surpasses Joey. So who’s going to be the next great No.7?

The two greatest halfbacks the game has seen: Johnathan Thurston and Andrew Johns.

The player who takes the baton from JT? I’m starting to believe it will be Gold Coast’s Ash Taylor.

The Brisbane Broncos make very few bad business decisions, but letting Taylor join their neighbours in 2016 will prove to be close to their worst.

It was a tremendous act of good will by Brisbane. Young Taylor still had a year left on his Broncos contract and he was too good for the under 20s, but not quite ready for NRL, in their opinion. And anyway, they had Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford entrenched in the halves.

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The feeling was the Broncos were merely lending Taylor to the Titans.

After all, the Broncos are the Broncos, while the Titans were expected to finish in the bottom two in 2016, with many fearing whether rugby league even had a future on the Gold Coast, given the off-field controversies and financial difficulties which were ravaging the club.

Taylor’s rookie season turned out to be one of the most impressive I have seen.

In pre-season training he lost his senior halves partner Kane Elgey to a season-ending knee injury and entered his rookie year as the chief playmaker of a wooden spoon contender.

As history shows Taylor led the Gold Coast to the finals.

Ashley Taylor poses in the Titans jersey to promote Indigenous Round. Picture: Brett Costello

His consistency each week and temperament under pressure was simply remarkable. In 2017 he’s been even better, in fact he’s much better.

The Titans had a slow start and while they’ve recovered in the past month, they’re still 12th.

Yet Taylor has been outstanding in an inconsistent team — creatively, he has the best stats of any half in the NRL. He leads the way with 15 try assists and is fourth as far as line break assists are concerned.

Gold Coast are 3-6 but they are the best at converting opportunities within the opposition 20-metre zone, into tries. Put that down to Taylor.

The talk is the Broncos are desperate to get him back, but cleverly the Gold Coast have him tied up for some time yet.

Jarryd Hayne is not the Titans’ most important player. It’s Taylor. I firmly believe he is the game’s next great halfback.

Can he be better than Joey or JT? That’s an interesting one.

You see, when I get asked what was Andrew’s greatest attribute was as a footballer, I answer his desire to compete. I believe Thurston’s the same.

At this point of his career Taylor is doing more than what Joey and JT were showing at the same age. He has the talent, but does he have the fire in the belly?

Time will tell.

For Taylor the lessons learnt will continue this Saturday night as he faces the game’s toughest challenge, the Storm in Melbourne.

And he’s against a pretty good No.7 in his own right, Cooper Cronk.

Originally published as Ash Taylor can rival Johnathan Thurston and Andrew Johns in NRL halfback hall of fame