Jason Taylor (rugby league)

Jason Taylor

Taylor in 2007
Personal information
Born	2 February 1971 (1971-02-02)
Playing information
Height	173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	72 kg (11 st 5 lb)
Position	Halfback
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1990–1993	Western Suburbs	86	6	225	12	486
1994–1999	North Sydney	147	32	563	20	1274
2000	Northern Eagles	17	1	38	2	82
2001	Parramatta	26	8	116	1	265
	Total	276	47	942	35	2107
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1993	New South Wales	2	0	0	0	0
Coaching information
Club
Years	Team	Gms	W	D	L	W%
2006	Parramatta	16	10	0	6	63
2007–2009	South Sydney	25	16	0	9	64
	Total	41	26	0	15	63
Source: RLP, NRL Stats Archive

Jason Taylor (born 2 February 1971) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player, currently working at the Sydney Roosters of the NRL. He formerly coached the Parramatta Eels and South Sydney Rabbitohs clubs. A goal-kicking halfback of the 1990s and early 2000s, Taylor set a number of point-scoring and appearance records in the National Rugby League during a twelve year career with the Western Suburbs Magpies, North Sydney Bears, Northern Eagles and Parramatta Eels.

Playing career

Jason Taylor spent his junior years at Green Valley United JRLFC and the Ashcroft Stallions JRLFC, in Sydney's south western suburbs. Jason first attended Ashcroft High School before spending his late teenage years St Gregory's College,Campbelltown.

Taylor played 276 games with 4 clubs: Wests from 1990 to 1993, Norths, 1994–1999, the Northern Eagles in 2000 and Parramatta in 2001. Predominantly a halfback, Taylor also represented New South Wales in State of Origin in 1993.

Records

He retired with the record for most career points in the National Rugby League and its predecessors. He scored 2,107 first grade career points, a mark later surpassed by Newcastle Knights halfback Andrew Johns in July 2006, then again by Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs winger Hazem El Masri in March 2009.

He retired holding the record for most first grade career goals at 942 and was the Australian Rugby League's top point-scorer in seasons 1996 and 1997. He was awarded the Rothmans Medal in 1996.

Between 1992 and 2000 (and across three clubs) he played 194 games in succession, also a standing record, 20 games clear of Hazem El Masri's 174.

Coaching career

Previously the Assistant-Coach at the Parramatta Eels, he was appointed as Coach in May 2006 for the remainder of the 2006 season after Brian Smith left the club following the announcement of his sacking for season 2007.

It was already planned that from 2007 Taylor was to join the South Sydney Rabbitohs as an Assistant Coach. In August 2006 it was announced he would replace Shaun McRae as Head Coach of the struggling South Sydney club. In his first year at Souths he took them to a top eight finish qualifying them for the Finals. It was the first time since 1989 that Souths reached the finals.

On 17 September 2009 it was announced that Taylor had been sacked as coach by the club due to an altercation with second-rower David Fa'alogo during end-of-season celebrations. A visibly upset Taylor appeared on the NRL Footy Show later that evening and on a number of sport programs on Sydney radio in the following days to explain his conduct and subsequent dismay at his sacking.

Taylor is now the coach of the Sydney Roosters Toyota Cup team.

Preceded by Brian Smith 1997-2006	Coach Parramatta Eels (caretaker) 2006	Succeeded by Michael Hagan 2007-2008
Preceded by Shaun McRae 2005-2006	Coach South Sydney Rabbitohs 2007-2009	Succeeded by John Lang 2010–2011