Greater Western Sydney defender Sam Taylor walks into each sport believing his facet can win towards anybody wherever.
It’s a conviction that many soccer minds would have scoffed at lower than two years in the past, and even Taylor admits his bullishness had been missing till just lately.
But if the Giants’ fairytale season beneath coach Adam Kingsley final 12 months didn’t persuade the footy world of their premiership high quality, their red-hot begin to the 2024 season would have gotten the doubters over the road.
At 2-0 after thumping Collingwood and North Melbourne, former rank outsiders GWS have edged out fierce rivals Sydney by share to steer the ladder – they usually intend for it to remain that means.
“I’ve never been this confident,” Taylor told AAP.
“I’ve all the time been like ‘If we do the suitable issues, we will win’, however there’s all the time doubt towards the actually good groups.
“Now, if we come in with good attitude and effort and play our system, I don’t see any way we can get beaten.”
Asked the place that confidence comes from, Taylor was candid.
“The loss against Collingwood in the prelim stings a lot, and that is still with all the players that played that game,” the All-Australian defender stated.
“We had so much more to give that year. We were still building. We were still healthy and ready to crack on to the grand final. That’s just what hurts the most.
“But it does give us motivation – that motivation via the pre-season to get higher and work on that one per cent.
“That one per cent can turn that one-point loss into a few goals’ win. We want to go one step further and we won’t leave one stone unturned.”
On the seek for their third consecutive win, GWS will make the five-hour flight to Perth to tackle competitors strugglers West Coast.
“It’s a lot better being the hunter,” Taylor stated.
“When you go into a game, you feel like you’ve got full freedom and there’s no pressure.
“Now being hunted, there’s expectations. We’re anticipated to win.
“But I feel like, with the group we have, I’m pretty happy to embrace being the hunted.
“We can get the win irrespective of who we ‘verse’ and the place we go.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
