Ashley Taylor facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | Ashley Taylor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 17 March 1995 Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia |
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Playing information
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| Height | 181 cm (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 94 kg (14 st 11 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Halfback, Five-eighth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ashley Taylor (born 17 March 1995) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He played as a halfback or five-eighth. His last team was the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL.
Before joining the Warriors, he played for the Brisbane Broncos and the Gold Coast Titans. Taylor also represented the Indigenous All Stars team in 2017.
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Early Life and Background
Ashley Taylor was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. He grew up in St George, Queensland until he was 10 years old. Ashley is of Indigenous Australian descent. His family comes from the Yuwaalaraay people and the Mununjali clan of the Yugambeh people.
He started playing junior rugby league for the St George JRL club. When he was 12, he signed with the Brisbane Broncos. He then moved back to Toowoomba. There, he played junior rugby league for the Toowoomba Brothers. He also attended Harristown State High School.
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Rugby League
From 2013 to 2015, Ashley Taylor played for the Brisbane Broncos' NYC team. This is a competition for younger players. In 2013, he signed a new three-year contract with the Broncos.
In 2014, he played in the Holden Cup Grand Final. He was the halfback for the Broncos. They narrowly lost the game 32-34 to the New Zealand Warriors.
Making His Mark in 2015
In May 2015, Taylor played for the Junior Kangaroos team. They won 22-20 against the Junior Kiwis. He played as halfback in this game. Later that year, he also played for the Queensland under-20s team. They lost to the New South Wales under-20s team.
In August 2015, Taylor signed a two-year contract with the Gold Coast Titans. He was released from his Broncos contract early to get a chance to play in the top league. He made his NRL debut in the last game of the 2015 season. He played for the Broncos against the Melbourne Storm. Unfortunately, he got a finger injury during the game. At the end of 2015, he was named in the NYC Team of the Year. He also won the Holden Cup Player of the Year award.
Joining the Gold Coast Titans
In 2016, Taylor joined the Gold Coast Titans. He played in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines tournament. In the first game of the 2016 NRL season, he made his club debut for the Titans. They won 30-12 against the Newcastle Knights.
Seasons with the Titans (2017-2021)
In the 2017 NRL season, Taylor played 24 games for the Gold Coast. The team finished near the bottom of the league table. He continued to play regularly in the 2018 NRL season, making 23 appearances. The Titans finished 14th that year.
The 2019 NRL season was a challenging one for Taylor and the Titans. He took some time away from the team. He later returned to play in Round 20. The team had a tough season, winning only four games. They finished last in the competition, receiving the Wooden Spoon.
In the 2020 NRL season, Taylor played 19 games for the Gold Coast. The team improved, finishing ninth and just missing out on the finals. In the 2021 NRL season, he made 16 appearances. The Titans finished 8th and made it to the finals. However, Taylor was not in the team towards the end of the season. In September 2021, he was released by the Gold Coast club.
Moving to New Zealand and Retirement
In October 2021, Taylor signed a contract with the New Zealand Warriors for the 2022 season. He made his debut for the Warriors in Round 2 of the 2022 NRL season. He played against his former team, the Gold Coast Titans, in a close 20-18 loss.
On 30 April 2022, Ashley Taylor announced his retirement from rugby league. He retired due to a long-term hip injury.
