Ashley Taylor facts for kids
Ashley Taylor in August 2014
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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 March 17, 1995) is a former professional rugby league player from Australia. He is an Indigenous Australian. Ashley played as a halfback, five-eighth (halfback or five-eighth). He played for teams like the Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans, and New Zealand Warriors in the NRL. Taylor also played for the Indigenous All Stars team in 2017.
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About Ashley Taylor
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 and 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.
Ashley's Playing Journey
Starting His Career
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 3-year contract with the Broncos. In 2014, he played in the Holden Cup Grand Final for the Broncos. He was the halfback and kicked two goals, but his team lost a close game 32-34 to the New Zealand Warriors.
Playing in 2015
In May 2015, Taylor played for the Junior Kangaroos team. They won 22-20 against the Junior Kiwis. In July, he played for the Queensland under-20s team. He was the halfback and kicked two goals, but they lost to New South Wales. In August, he signed a 2-year contract with the Gold Coast Titans. This was for the 2016 season and beyond. He left the Broncos to get a chance to play in the top league.
Taylor made his first NRL (National Rugby League) appearance in the last game of the season. He played for the Broncos against the Melbourne Storm. Sadly, his debut ended early when he hurt his finger. He was named halfback in the 2015 NYC Team of the Year. He also won the Holden Cup Player of the Year award.
Joining the Titans: 2016-2018
In 2016, Taylor played for the Titans in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines tournament. He made his official club debut for the Titans in Round 1 of the 2016 season. They won against the Newcastle Knights.
In the 2017 NRL season, Taylor played 24 games for the Gold Coast Titans. The team finished near the bottom of the ladder. In the 2018 NRL season, Taylor played 23 games. The Gold Coast team finished 14th that year.
Challenges and Changes: 2019-2021
The 2019 NRL season was tough for Ashley Taylor. He took some time away from the game to deal with personal matters. The club supported his decision. After almost two months, he returned to play. However, he was later moved to the reserve grade team.
Taylor played 10 games for the Gold Coast in the 2019 NRL season. It was a difficult year for the club overall. They only won 4 games and finished last, earning the "Wooden Spoon" award.
In the 2020 NRL season, Taylor played 19 games for the Gold Coast. The team finished ninth and just missed out on the finals.
In the 2021 NRL season, Taylor played 16 games. The Gold Coast team finished 8th and made it to the finals. Towards the end of the season, Taylor was not in the main team. In September, he left the Gold Coast club. In October, he signed a contract with the New Zealand Warriors for the 2022 season.
Final Season and Retirement: 2022
In Round 2 of the 2022 NRL season, Taylor played his first game for the New Zealand Warriors. He played against his old team, the Gold Coast Titans. The Warriors lost that game 20-18.
On April 30, 2022, Ashley Taylor announced he was retiring from rugby league. He made this decision because of a long-term hip injury.
