NRL preseason: Wests Tigers new coach Jason Taylor lays out his blueprint for the club

NEW Wests Tigers coach Jason Taylor surveyed his new team armed with a little bit of Trent Robinson, a dash of Phil Gould and even a little Warren Ryan.

New coach Jason Taylor during the Wests Tigers training session at Rothwell Park , Concord .Picture Gregg Porteous

NEW Wests Tigers coach Jason Taylor stood at Concord surveying the landscape of one of the NRL’s best rosters armed with a little bit of Trent Robinson, a dash of Phil Gould and even a little Warren Ryan.

For a relatively young coach about to embark on his third-coming in charge of an NRL team, it appears a tremendously strong position for a notoriously fractured club.

Having learned his trade under three of the best football brains of rugby league’s modern era, Taylor immediately set about outlining his blueprint for the club to begin the repair job on two hugely divided seasons.

NEW ERA BEGINS AT THE TIGERS

Jason Taylor oversees his first training session as Wests Tigers head coach.

With little fuss or fanfare, the new Tigers coach cut straight to the chase — the club has been under-achieving and it’s everyone’s responsibility to buy into trying to fix it.

From a leadership perspective, Taylor declared Robbie Farah will remain the Tigers captain and communication is the key to ensuring the new coach and captain are on the same page at all times.

“There are plenty of clubs who would kill to have the young talented guys that we’ve got,” Taylor said.

“But we’ve got to work hard with their development. They are young so we can’t expect miracles initially but they’ve shown that they’re really talented so that is exciting.”

INJURIES: NRL PRE-SEASON CASUALTY WARD

David Nofoaluma and Mitchell Moses share a laugh during training.

Taylor believes he will return to NRL head coaching in a much stronger position than when he last held an appointment at the helm of South Sydney in 2009.

As the right-hand man for premiership-winning Roosters coach Trent Robinson for the past two seasons, Taylor can take plenty of credit for the emergence and development of talent at the Tricolours.

Plenty of rookies and big-name players have evolved at the Roosters since Robinson’s arrival, something the Tigers will want Taylor to transport to the club’s Concord base.

NRL rookie of the year Luke Brooks was upbeat about Taylor’s appointment, outlining how the new coach wasted no time telling the players exactly what he expects of them as professional athletes.

Luke Brooks says the players are excited about the new coach and a fresh start.

“That’s something the whole club is looking to do and something Jason drilled into us, to lift the professionalism. Hopefully the boys can buy into it,” Brooks said.

“It’s not just on the field, it’s off the field too.

“Obviously we want to do a lot better than we did last year. The top eight is definitely a goal for us and I think it’s achievable if we set ourselves to it.

“We know there’s a lot of hard work to be done.

“Everyone’s excited about all the changes. It’s a good feel, hopefully we can have a better year than last year.”

The Tigers are put through their paces.

The Tigers first session on Wednesday was at the makeshift suburban venue of Rothwell Park in Concord, with the club’s regular headquarters at Concord undergoing turf maintenance until early January.

On his captain Farah, Taylor said: “Robbie and I have formed a really good relationship already. I was chatting to him via text message.

“He’s disappointed that he can’t be here today, which is great. That’s a great sign for me.

Jason Taylor has spoken to the players about improving their professionalism.

“We’ve talked with a lot of people around the club about a lot of things and the biggest thing that comes out about Robbie is how passionate he is about winning.

“That’s a great trait. Communication is the key for any relationship and we’ve started well on that front.

“I’m sure we’ll have a few tough days but if we keep talking about it then we’ll be able to get to the bottom of any problems.”

Another new era at the Tigers has begun.

Originally published as NRL preseason: Wests Tigers new coach Jason Taylor lays out his blueprint for the club