Could Bennett take Taylor from Titans?

Super Freak

Super Freak

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Forum Staff
Jan 25, 2014
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THE Titans are fighting to retain Ashley Taylor with Wayne Bennett revealing his plan to bring the boom Queensland Origin hopeful back to the Broncos.

In a spicy prelude to the Broncos-Titans derby this Saturday night, Bennett broke his silence on Taylor to confirm his interest in poaching one of the hottest playmakers in the code.

It was Bennett who reluctantly agreed to release Taylor two years ago at a time when the Broncos super coach was pinning the club’s long-term prosperity on halves Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford.

But with Hunt joining the Dragons next year on a $6 million deal, the Broncos No. 7 jumper is up for grabs — and Brisbane’s recruitment and retention committee have their eyes on Taylor.

Speculation is rife that Taylor, who is off-contract at the end of next season, is considering quitting the Titans and Bennett is ready to strike if the 22-year-old is keen to return to Red Hill.

“I’d be silly not to try and bring Ash Taylor back,” Bennett told The Courier-Mail.

“If he interested in us and he is on the open market, I am interested in talking to him.

“Until it all happens, I guess it’s speculation, but I never wanted to lose a player of Ash’s ability.

“Sometimes guys only get one opportunity at this level and it wouldn’t have been fair to keep Ash Taylor stuck behind Ben and Anthony.

“I wanted him to get an opportunity and it’s worked out great for him.

“He’s a much more mature player now, which is what the idea was.

“If Ash is interested in coming back, I’ll look at our salary cap position ... but you always hope if they do come back, they come back a better player.”

Bennett’s stance will ring alarm bells for a Titans organisation that faces a major battle to secure Taylor, whose salary is set to soar following his impressive rise in the past 18 months.

Broncos legend Darren Lockyer, a member of Brisbane’s recruitment and retention committee, confirmed the former Junior Kangaroos ace is on their hit list.

“If he comes off in 2019, depending on how the Broncos are travelling, if we are in need of a halfback then he will be one of the options,” Lockyer said.

“We didn’t envisage Ben Hunt was going to leave.

“We’ve done it with a number of players who can’t get the game time. We let them go and a fair few times they’ve come back to us.

“It is a long way out but he has history with the club and is a player who would fit into the system well.

“He’s got a lot of good attributes as a halfback.”

Titans skipper Ryan James inked a three-year deal earlier this season and hopes Taylor also stays loyal.

“He is an Origin player of the future so it would be good to keep him here on the Gold Coast,” he said. “Ash is pretty happy at the moment and we know he has the ability to take this club forward.

“It’s up to the Titans’ management and his manager now to get the deal over the line.”

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...s/news-story/a84a1c8f1b11d30ad79505a1be3e73e1
 
Id bring the qld coach back and have Locky as our Halves coach for Milf and Taylor thats surely a draw card
 
Blair released after this year, Sammy retiring next year. Mead probably opting for SL next year. A few other chops and changes and it could probably be done.

Totally agree Wayne needs to do move the heavens and earth to get him back , imagine if wayne blooded him instead of kodi in 2015
 
Be funny to bring him home and they lose roberts aswell [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

And let's not forget his royal highness Jarryd Hayne will be gone too. Titans will fold. There must be some sweaty palms down there.
 
He is the missing piece of the puzzle and if he effectively costs us Blair and Oates, as much as that would suck, especially Oates, I think it is one of those hard decisions that would need to be made. Not TPJ though, he is a massive part of our future.
 
Totally agree Wayne needs to do move the heavens and earth to get him back , imagine if wayne blooded him instead of kodi in 2015
Might not have changed the outcome. Ash was going to get a gig as a starting halfback, and Bennett picked Hunt.
Jeez if Bennett had of dropped Kodi in favour of blooding Taylor we could have lost all 3...
 
A cruel cruel world if Bennett manages to get Atay back.
 
Titans will pay him as the man/marquee player. I doubt we have the cap space to compete with that considering we are paying Milford as the marquee player.
 

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