Jason Taylor says Wests Tigers will be more active in south west

Jason Taylor won’t predict where Wests Tigers will finish in 2015, but he can confirm the club will be a lot more active in Liverpool and Macarthur from now on.

And the determination in his voice suggests the club has made the right choice to give him the coaching reins for three years following the departure of Mick Potter.

In an interview with the South West Voice, the former Magpies, Bears and Eels halfback says he feels confident he has the coaching structures in place to guide the Wests Tigers to success in 2015 and beyond.

Taylor is also confident he and the skipper, Robbie Farah, will pull together to steer the team in the right direction.

The 43-year-old mentor, who hasn’t coached first grade since his departure from Souths in 2010, says he was pleasantly surprised to find a Wests Tigers playing group oozing with confidence.

“Even training in this heat and the humidity, it was good to see them push themselves instead of asking for lighter training,’’ Taylor said.

The young Jason Taylor, who was born on February 2, 1971, grew up in Green Valley and first played rugby league with the Green Valley Junior Rugby League Football Club and the Ashcroft Stallions.

He attended Ashcroft High School, the same school as league legend Brad Fittler, who was a year below him.

Taylor then attended the famous rugby league nursery St Gregory’s College at Campbelltown before playing for the Western Suburbs Magpies, who played out of what was then called Orana Park (Campbelltown Sports Stadium).

So it’s no surprise to hear him talk about wanting his players to spend a bit more time out here to try to win over the support of the fans.

And after the collapse of the fan base in the 2014 season, it will be something that’s needed to ensure the four Campbelltown home matches next season aren’t played in front of empty stands.

“I want to ramp up our community involvement, not just in Campbelltown but also Macarthur and Liverpool,’’ Taylor says.

“This will help us win back the support of the fans, which is so important.

“But there’s another reason I want the players to get out there a lot more: I want them to get to know Campbelltown Stadium and to really feel it’s their home ground when we play there.’’

There’s probably a third reason: “I still have a lot of friends out that way, people I stayed in touch with in Liverpool and the south west,’’ Taylor says.

The Voice asks Taylor if his well known analytical skills are the X factor the Wests Tigers will hook into to succeed in the next three years.

“Oh no, all coaches up to a point are analytical these days,’’ he responds.

“We will first of all focus on what are the most important things, and that’s getting our game plans right, the way we play.

“This comes first, and then we will have a look at the opposition and analyse any weakness they may have.’’

Speaking of coaches, he said learned something from all of the coaches he played under, but singled out Warren Ryan and Brian Smith.

“Warren Ryan was the best in analysing and explaining things really well; Brian Smith was the best allround coach,’’ Taylor says.

Most good rugby league judges agree that the Wests Tigers roster contains some of the best young talent the game has to offer at the moment.

Tedesco, Nofaluma, Brooks, Moses, it’s quite a list.

But will Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks be the halves in 2015?

“Yes, they do have the jump on others, although Moses is still recovering from injury, but at this stage yes, they would be the first ones picked,’’ says Taylor.

How is James Tedesco coming along?

“He’s the fittest player in the squad, physically good, he will be ready to go at the start of the season.’’

So, where will the Wests Tigers finish in the 2015 NRL competition, Jason, top eight, higher?

“I won’t be making any predictions,’’ he says.

Which is fair enough.