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Dave Taylor is going to make the Raiders the most dominant forward pack in the NRL.
When news broke Dave Taylor signed a deal with a train on contract with the Canberra Raiders, the public generally wondered what coach Ricky was thinking. But it was a case of risk vs reward.
In the upcoming season Dave Taylor will show has something to prove as he now knows it is his chance to resurrect his career and there will be no more chances.
The Raiders are starting to see how badly wanting this as when he arrived in Canberra he trained the house down and to date has lost nine kilos.
Dave Taylor has done all he has been asked so far but Ricky is not that easy to convince, especially when it comes to his beloved Raiders outfit. However, if there is anyone to change Dave’s career and bring him back to the form that saw him wear eight Queensland Origin jerseys and represent Australia, it is in Canberra.
A great example of what Ricky has done to get his players climbing through the ranks is seen with both Junior Paulo and Joey Leilua. Ricky has taken a big step of keeping Dave on track by getting him to pour drinks instead of drinking them.
If the Raiders do decide to take the gamble with Dave Taylor, he could make a good front-row great with the rotation of three 120 plus kilos boppers.
For a Raiders fan, having the three could be a boon and they’re all uniquely well placed to be fit and firing.
Junior Paulo is in great shape having just finished boxing training, where he trained twice a day to fight Paul Gallen. Shannon Boyd returns from the tour of England which he would have learned a lot by training with some the best players in the world.
Also, to add to that front row rotation with the back row of Sia Soliola, Josh Papalli, Elliot Whitehead, Josh Hodgson and Joseph Tapine.
With Ricky holding his cards close to his chest, big Taylor still has a lot to prove moving forward. He has the Auckland Nines to start, which if he is fit enough, has the potential to terrorise other teams with his size and pure skill.
After the Nines is the final test which will really make or break his career with the Raiders, with the Knights game. From there, he will be signed even if it in Mounties football team for two or three rounds until he finds and works his way into the team.
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