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Harry Taylor (Australian rules footballer)
Encyclopedia
Harry Taylor III is an Australian rules football
er for the Geelong Football Club
in the Australian Football League
(AFL).
where he was school captain in 2003 before moving to Perth
in 2004 to pursue a possible career in the AFL
. In 2001 he was the recipient of the Pierre de Coubertin Award and in 2003 he was one of eight Australian students selected to attend the 4th International Youth Forum in Italy. To help prepare himself for life as a footballer, Taylor worked for a year as a bricklayer
to try to gain muscle which would ultimately help him as an AFL footballer. He grew up supporting Adelaide, idolising the high flying Tony Modra
.
He is a mature age player who spent three seasons, and played 49 games for East Fremantle
in the WAFL
. Taylor finished third in the East Fremantle Sharks best and fairest
in 2007. Before being drafted Taylor was studying physiotherapy at university, and had never left his home state of Western Australia.
because of his age. Taylor made his debut for the Cats in the first round of the 2008 NAB Cup
against Melbourne
, in a highly impressive display in defence. He can play at either end of the ground as a key position player, but has made his mark at CHB though he has shown his versatility by kicking three goals in his debut season.
Taylor's football superstition
is to wear zinc cream during every game regardless of the weather, however in his first game at Telstra Dome
he did not wear it in fear of attracting too much attention. He has been known to take notes on each opponent he plays on in a bid to help improve his game.
In the heritage round clash against Melbourne, Taylor was forced to wear a guernsey with the number 85 on it as opposed to his usual number 7 guernsey. After changing his guernsey twice due to the blood rule
there were no spare number 7 guernseys left and he could not return to the field until he was wearing a clean guernsey. It is still unclear why there was a spare number 85 guernsey.
Taylor made his finals debut in the quarter finals against St Kilda.
He credits his outstanding first season to the fact that he has an established backline around him and talented teammates who he can learn from. Former Geelong coach, Mark Thompson, has shown great faith in Taylor, stating that he will be with the Geelong Football Club for a very long time. Taylor's impressive debut season was recognised when he was awarded Geelong's Best first-year player award.
This was Taylor's second Premiership Medallion with The Geelong Cats. It came after a stellar year of defensive work on several of the competitions key forwards. It is clear that Geelong's defensive players are a close knit unit with a brief sub-group "defenders" photograph on the field of the MCG with the 2011 Premiership Cup.
, before being drafted he had never been to Geelong and could not locate it on a map. He is fascinated with World War II which lead him to start drinking Cognac
and to start watching WWII inspired TV series, Band of Brothers, which he sometimes watches before a game to draw inspiration from. Taylor dislikes metropolitan life, as there are "too many people up there" for his liking. Taylor's high school sweetheart, Michelle Giudice, gave birth to a little boy named James Taylor on 2 June 2010. Tradition has been broken in the Taylor family, after naming the baby boy James, instead of a fourth generation of Harrys.
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
| 2008
|
| 7
| 21
| 327
| 157
| 170
| 96
| 28
| 3
| 0
| 15.6
| 7.5
| 8.1
| 4.6
| 1.3
| 0.1
| 0
|-
| 2009
| Geelong
| 7
| 22
| 387
| 152
| 235
| 121
| 28
| 3
| 2
| 17.6
| 6.9
| 10.7
| 5.5
| 1.3
| 0.1
| 0.1
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
| 2010
| Geelong
| 7
| 23
| 388
| 191
| 197
| 159
| 35
| 2
| 3
| 16.9
| 8.3
| 8.6
| 6.9
| 1.5
| 0.1
| 0.1
|-
| 2011
| Geelong
| 7
| 24
| 356
| 208
| 148
| 144
| 46
| 0
| 2
| 14.8
| 8.7
| 6.2
| 6.0
| 1.9
| 0
| 0.1
|- class="sortbottom"
! colspan=3| Career
! 90
! 1458
! 708
! 750
! 520
! 137
! 8
! 7
! 16.2
! 7.9
! 8.3
! 5.8
! 1.5
! 0.1
! 0.1
|}
Team
Individual
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er for the Geelong Football Club
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL).
Early life
Taylor attended Geraldton Grammar School in GeraldtonGeraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
where he was school captain in 2003 before moving to Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in 2004 to pursue a possible career in the AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. In 2001 he was the recipient of the Pierre de Coubertin Award and in 2003 he was one of eight Australian students selected to attend the 4th International Youth Forum in Italy. To help prepare himself for life as a footballer, Taylor worked for a year as a bricklayer
Bricklayer
A bricklayer or mason is a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The term also refers to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. In British and Australian English, a bricklayer is colloquially known as a "brickie".The training of a trade in...
to try to gain muscle which would ultimately help him as an AFL footballer. He grew up supporting Adelaide, idolising the high flying Tony Modra
Tony Modra
Anthony 'Tony' Dale Modra is a former Australian rules football player, known for his spectacular marks. He played for the Adelaide Football Club and Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League, mainly at full forward. Modra had the physical strength and size to match the best...
.
He is a mature age player who spent three seasons, and played 49 games for East Fremantle
East Fremantle Football Club
The East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The team's home ground is East Fremantle Oval...
in the WAFL
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
. Taylor finished third in the East Fremantle Sharks best and fairest
Best and Fairest
Best and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...
in 2007. Before being drafted Taylor was studying physiotherapy at university, and had never left his home state of Western Australia.
Career
Taylor was considered a surprise selection at pick 17 in the 2007 draft2007 AFL Draft
The 2007 AFL Draft consisted of four opportunities for player acquisitions during the 2007/08 Australian Football League off-season. These were trade week, the National Draft, the Pre-Season Draft and the Rookie Draft.- Trades :...
because of his age. Taylor made his debut for the Cats in the first round of the 2008 NAB Cup
2008 NAB Cup
The 2008 NAB Cup was the Australian Football League pre-season competition played in its entirety before the Australian Football League's 2008 Premiership season began...
against Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
, in a highly impressive display in defence. He can play at either end of the ground as a key position player, but has made his mark at CHB though he has shown his versatility by kicking three goals in his debut season.
Taylor's football superstition
Superstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
is to wear zinc cream during every game regardless of the weather, however in his first game at Telstra Dome
Telstra Dome
Docklands Stadium is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
he did not wear it in fear of attracting too much attention. He has been known to take notes on each opponent he plays on in a bid to help improve his game.
2008: Debut
Blood rule
The Blood rule is a rule used in many sports that states that an athlete that receives an open wound, is bleeding, or who has blood on them or their clothes, must immediately leave the playing area to receive medical attention...
there were no spare number 7 guernseys left and he could not return to the field until he was wearing a clean guernsey. It is still unclear why there was a spare number 85 guernsey.
Taylor made his finals debut in the quarter finals against St Kilda.
He credits his outstanding first season to the fact that he has an established backline around him and talented teammates who he can learn from. Former Geelong coach, Mark Thompson, has shown great faith in Taylor, stating that he will be with the Geelong Football Club for a very long time. Taylor's impressive debut season was recognised when he was awarded Geelong's Best first-year player award.
2009: Grand Final
Harry Taylor played a superb role in the grand final, holding Nick Riewoldt to only a single goal. Although Taylor often had a third-man up in contested situations, he still played an excellent match on one of the AFL's best players. Riewoldt took a fine one-on-one mark and diving mark in front of Taylor in the third term, but the Cat hit back with a stunning smother in the third term just as Riewoldt was snapping at goal from the pocket. Taylor also kept the ball alive in the final term on the boundary and took the match-saving mark deep in defence when Darren Milburn kicked out. A superb game from the young defender whom Tom Harley and Matthew Scarlett heaped praises upon. Taylor finished with a equal record 15 spoils and played three quarters with a broken hand.2011: Grand Final
Harry Taylor played another key role in Geelong's 2011 Premiership Winning side against Collingwood. Taylor started the match on Travis Cloke of Collingwood and held him well early, however Cloke soon had a brief "purple patch" of form and booted 3 brilliant goals from outside 50 metres on his natural left boot. The Geelong coaching box decided to try Tom Lonergan on Cloke, and Cloke didn't manage to kick a goal after that move. However Harry Taylor still had a marvelous game, taking 4 critical marks in defense stimulating some Trademark Geelong rebounds. Whilst gathering 10 disposals on the day he was part of the Geelong elite defense who played a pivotal role in cutting off Collingwood's scoring opportunities and setting up play through the Geelong midfield.This was Taylor's second Premiership Medallion with The Geelong Cats. It came after a stellar year of defensive work on several of the competitions key forwards. It is clear that Geelong's defensive players are a close knit unit with a brief sub-group "defenders" photograph on the field of the MCG with the 2011 Premiership Cup.
Personal life
Taylor lives alone in GeelongGeelong, Victoria
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...
, before being drafted he had never been to Geelong and could not locate it on a map. He is fascinated with World War II which lead him to start drinking Cognac
Cognac (drink)
Cognac , named after the town of Cognac in France, is a variety of brandy. It is produced in the wine-growing region surrounding the town from which it takes its name, in the French Departements of Charente and Charente-Maritime....
and to start watching WWII inspired TV series, Band of Brothers, which he sometimes watches before a game to draw inspiration from. Taylor dislikes metropolitan life, as there are "too many people up there" for his liking. Taylor's high school sweetheart, Michelle Giudice, gave birth to a little boy named James Taylor on 2 June 2010. Tradition has been broken in the Taylor family, after naming the baby boy James, instead of a fourth generation of Harrys.
Statistics
- Statistics are correct to 1 October 2011 (end of 2011 season).
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
| 2008
2008 AFL season
-Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6 :-Round 7:-AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match:-Round 8:...
|
| 7
| 21
| 327
| 157
| 170
| 96
| 28
| 3
| 0
| 15.6
| 7.5
| 8.1
| 4.6
| 1.3
| 0.1
| 0
|-
| 2009
2009 AFL season
-Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5 :-Round 6:-Round 7:-Round 8:-Round 9 :-Round 10:...
| Geelong
| 7
| 22
| 387
| 152
| 235
| 121
| 28
| 3
| 2
| 17.6
| 6.9
| 10.7
| 5.5
| 1.3
| 0.1
| 0.1
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
| 2010
2010 AFL season
-Premiership season:The draw for the 2010 AFL Premiership Season is not a random selection of matches, but rather is planned by the AFL. It is intended to produce a balanced draw while also providing the fans and television networks with blockbuster games. In a competition with 16 teams and 22...
| Geelong
| 7
| 23
| 388
| 191
| 197
| 159
| 35
| 2
| 3
| 16.9
| 8.3
| 8.6
| 6.9
| 1.5
| 0.1
| 0.1
|-
| 2011
2011 AFL season
The 2011 Australian Football League season was the 115th season of the Australian rules football competition. It was the debut year for , and was scheduled to be the only season to be played with 17 teams...
| Geelong
| 7
| 24
| 356
| 208
| 148
| 144
| 46
| 0
| 2
| 14.8
| 8.7
| 6.2
| 6.0
| 1.9
| 0
| 0.1
|- class="sortbottom"
! colspan=3| Career
! 90
! 1458
! 708
! 750
! 520
! 137
! 8
! 7
! 16.2
! 7.9
! 8.3
! 5.8
! 1.5
! 0.1
! 0.1
|}
Honours and achievements
| Brownlow Medal Brownlow Medal The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game... votes |
|
| Season | Votes |
|---|---|
| 2008 2008 Brownlow Medal The 2008 Brownlow Medal was awarded to Adam Cooney of the Western Bulldogs, who was adjudged to have been the best and fairest player during the 2008 Australian Football League home and away season. It is the most prestigious individual award in Australian rules football and was held at the Crown... |
— |
| 2009 2009 Brownlow Medal -Voting Procedure:The three field umpires confer after each match and award 3 votes, 2 votes and 1 vote to the players they regard as the best, second best and third best in the match respectively.-Ineligible players:As the award is for the Best and Fairest player in the league, players found guilty... |
1 |
| 2010 2010 Brownlow Medal The Brownlow Medal is the most prestigious individual award in Australian rules football and was awarded in 2010 to Chris Judd from the Carlton Football Club for being voted as the fairest and best during the 2010 Australian Football League home and away season. The vote counting ceremony was held... |
3 |
| 2011 2011 Brownlow Medal The Brownlow Medal is the most prestigious individual award in Australian rules football. The award was presented on Monday, 26 September, in the week before the 2011 AFL Grand Final.-Leading votegetters:... |
— |
| Total | 4 |
Team
- AFL Premiership (Geelong): 2009, 2011
- AFL McClelland Trophy (Geelong): 2008
- AFL NAB Cup (Geelong): 2009
Individual
- All-Australian: 2010
- Geelong F.C. Best First Year Player Award: 2008
External links
- Harry Taylor's statistics at WAFL Online