Taylor Duryea opens up about his exit from Hawthorn and what attracted him to the Western Bulldogs
It was the middle of the night and Taylor Duryea was on the other side of the world when he found out he had been traded from Hawthorn to the Western Bulldogs. Luckily, he had plenty of ‘USA Hawks’ to lean on for advice.
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IT was 2.30am South Carolina-time when the notifications starting beeping on Taylor Duryea’s phone, abruptly rousing him from his slumber.
He was on an annual golf trip to Sage Valley in the US with a group of 15 past and present Hawthorn teammates when the news came through that he had found a new home — the Western Bulldogs.
A phone call validation from his manager Adam Ramanauskas followed soon after.
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“It’s fair to say I didn’t sleep for the rest of the night,” Duryea told the Sunday Herald Sun. “It was exciting news, but at the same time, it was a bit sad to be leaving the Hawks.
“Everyone (on the trip) was either Hawthorn or ex-Hawthorn, and by the time the trip had finished there were five clubs represented.
“Jordan Lewis (Melbourne) was there, so was Luke Hodge (Brisbane). ‘Suckers’ (Matt Suckling) and I were with the Bulldogs, we had the Hawthorn players there, and the day after the news came about my trade, Ryan Burton got traded to Port Adelaide.”
The news filtering back from back in Australia didn’t stop the ‘United States of Hawthorn’ group from missing out on the tournament they have played the past two off-seasons.
Duryea, whose handicap has slipped to 11, won the event last year, but lost out to Jarryd Roughead this year.
“I wasn’t able to defend my title, but Roughy plays off 27, so that probably doesn’t count,” he joked.
Six weeks on, the 27-year-old defender has settled well into the Whitten Oval, eager by the challenge his new club presents him with, but also grateful for his experiences at Hawthorn.
“One of the best things about my time at Hawthorn was that I wasn’t really going well in my first couple of years,” he said. “But Hawthorn had the luxury of holding onto me for a few extra years and that third year really proved a springboard for me into senior footy.”
He went on to play 118 games with the Hawks, and was a member of the 2014 and 2015 premiership sides.
His last on-field appearance for the Hawks came in the semi-final loss to Melbourne, a game he was recalled for after being sent back to Box Hill for a period late in the season.
A few weeks later he had won Hawthorn’s best clubman award, an indication of his worth.
He was a highly-regarded member of the Hawks on and off the field, and he is eager to maintain his role as an ambassador for Beyond Blue at his new club.
But the opportunity the Bulldogs offered him — as well as an extra year’s security — saw him receptive to a move to join his former teammate Suckling at the Kennel.
Fittingly, he has a Bulldog (Duke) — albeit a French, not a British one — already at home.
“I’ve settled in really well,” he said. “I think I can deliver a bit with my leadership which I have been able to build and develop at Hawthorn under great leaders.
“The young core of players that drove the (2016 Bulldogs) premiership are still there. That’s exciting for me as an older player coming into the group. There is obviously still the depth of talent there and I am really looking forward to seeing what this group can do.”
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