GWS defender Sam Taylor reveals moment of panic after his match-saving spoil in preliminary final
With the knowledge GWS is into the Grand Final, Giants defender Sam Taylor reveals exactly what went through his mind after he decided to spoil a ball he could have marked in the dying seconds of the preliminary final.
GWS
Don't miss out on the headlines from GWS. Followed categories will be added to My News.
With one mighty flex of Sam Taylor’s right arm, the football world could fully understand what Danny Frawley was talking about when he coined the phrase “the golden fist”.
Some have argued the 20-year-old emerging star, who GWS got for a “steal” in the 2017 draft, should have marked the ball in the goalsquare, with only seconds left in the preliminary final epic and no Collingwood players in sight.
But in the same week that fans have launched an online petition calling for ‘the golden fist’ to become an official award at the Brownlow Medal in the wake of Frawley’s tragic passing, Taylor was rewarded for living the St Kilda legend’s mantra of spiking the absolute bejesus out of the ball.
For a fraction of a second Taylor feared the ball would float into a Magpie lap and he would be destined for a lifetime of regret, but instead it’s the quietly spoken defender’s ‘Fist of God’ moment.
Replay the 2019 Toyota AFL Grand Final in full on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial and start streaming instantly >
“Luckily I connected well with it. But there’s a split second of ‘oh no, where is it going, where is it going?’” said Taylor.
“The moment when the siren went I was just like, ‘thank God, anything could have happened.’
“If that cost us a goal I would have never forgiven myself for it.”
Taylor admits in hindsight “I should have marked that.” But in the heat of the moment he was expecting to get a knee in the back and face pressure from a Collingwood defender behind him.
The bigger picture story surrounding Taylor is that he — and pint-sized forward Brent Daniels — must be the biggest bargain gets in the AFL.
The pair went pick 27 and 28 respectively in the 2017 draft, and even Taylor himself cheekily admits the Giants got a pair of “steals.”
MORE NEWS:
Free agent Zac Williams can’t imagine playing anywhere but Greater Western Sydney
Toby Greene’s mum beams with pride as she defends her son from the critics that don’t know him
Under ‘spirit of the game’ rule, Richmond can’t target Lachie Whitfield
“We get told this quite a bit but it doesn’t matter what number you get drafted as long as you get on a list and you show what you can do,” said Taylor.
“But I do believe me and ‘Binga’ (Daniels) were great steals for the club. We’re both playing in the Grand Final this week and it’s coming along nicely. It’s very exciting.
“Going into my draft year I wasn’t very confident and just thought I have no idea where I’m going to go.
“But now I feel very confident. I feel like I belong.
“I belong in the team and I can make an impact during the game and that the coach and the players have a lot of confidence in me as well, which helps a lot.”
Originally published as GWS defender Sam Taylor reveals moment of panic after his match-saving spoil in preliminary final