Elijah Taylor
Encyclopedia
Elijah Taylor is a professional rugby league
footballer who currently plays in the National Rugby League
for the New Zealand Warriors
.
High School before moving to Northland with his family. In Northland Taylor attended Kaitaia College. Taylor was a rugby union
age group representative for Taranaki
, Northland
and Auckland before taking up rugby league
in 2006 while studying at St. Paul's College
after watching Sonny Bill Williams
playing for the Canterbury Bulldogs
.
In 2007 Taylor was selected for the New Zealand Māori Under-18s
side.
, known for producing rugby league talents. He played for the Otahuhu Leopards
club in Auckland Rugby League
competitions and the Tamaki Titans in the Bartercard Cup
.
With the creation of the Toyota Cup in 2008 Taylor joined the Warriors under-20 side and in 2009 was made the sides captain. He missed only one of the teams first 46 matches. He was to become the eighth player to be promoted to make his first grade debut from the under-20 side when he was named to play against the Gold Coast Titans
on 9 August 2009 however he had to withdraw from the game due to a hamstring injury. He finished his Toyota Cup career with fifty two games and fourteen tries.
Taylor finally made his first grade debut on 3 April 2011 when he came off the bench against the Cronulla Sharks
in Taupo.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer who currently plays in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
for the New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
.
Early years
Born in Taranaki, Taylor attended PateaPatea
Patea is the third-largest town in South Taranaki, New Zealand. It is on the western bank of the Patea River, 61 kilometres north-west of Wanganui on State Highway 3. Hawera is 27 km to the north-west, and Waverley 17 km to the east. The Patea River flows through the town from the...
High School before moving to Northland with his family. In Northland Taylor attended Kaitaia College. Taylor was a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
age group representative for Taranaki
Taranaki Rugby Union
Taranaki Rugby Football Union is the governing body of Rugby in the New Zealand province of Taranaki. The main stadium is Yarrow Stadium which is in the main centre of New Plymouth. Taranaki plays in the annual ITM Cup in which it also competes for the Ranfurly shield...
, Northland
Northland Rugby Union
The Northland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Northland region of New Zealand.-History:Rugby was first played in Northland in the 1870s, and the first union was set up in the province in 1895, known as the Marsden Football Union. The Northland union was founded in...
and Auckland before taking up rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
in 2006 while studying at St. Paul's College
St. Paul's College, Auckland
St Paul's College is a college for year 7 to 13 boys and offers a Catholic education to its students. It is located in the central Auckland suburb of Ponsonby. The school originates from 1903 when the Marist Brothers opened Sacred Heart College, Auckland on the site...
after watching Sonny Bill Williams
Sonny Bill Williams
Sonny William 'Sonny Bill' Williams is a New Zealand rugby union player and former rugby league player. He is only the second person to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for the country in rugby league. In rugby union he usually plays as a centre...
playing for the Canterbury Bulldogs
Canterbury Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
.
In 2007 Taylor was selected for the New Zealand Māori Under-18s
New Zealand Maori rugby league team
-See also:* New Zealand national rugby league team* New Zealand Māori rugby union team* New Zealand Māori cricket team-External links:* Google Books...
side.
Warriors
After Taylor was signed by the Warriors on a development contract he moved to Auckland and attended St Paul's CollegeSt. Paul's College, Auckland
St Paul's College is a college for year 7 to 13 boys and offers a Catholic education to its students. It is located in the central Auckland suburb of Ponsonby. The school originates from 1903 when the Marist Brothers opened Sacred Heart College, Auckland on the site...
, known for producing rugby league talents. He played for the Otahuhu Leopards
Otahuhu Leopards
The Otahuhu Leopards are a rugby league club based in Otahuhu, New Zealand. The club competes in the Fox Memorial competition run by the Auckland Rugby League. They are coached by Peter Caccioppoli. Between 2000 and 2003 they also competed in the Bartercard Cup.The team are the current holders of...
club in Auckland Rugby League
Auckland Rugby League
The Auckland Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is responsible for rugby league in the region and was the owner of Carlaw Park, once the "spiritual home of rugby league in New Zealand".-History:The Auckland Rugby League was...
competitions and the Tamaki Titans in the Bartercard Cup
Bartercard Cup
The Bartercard Cup was the top level rugby league club competition in New Zealand from 2000 until 2007. For the entire life of the tournament it was sponsored by Bartercard. The cup was administered by the New Zealand Rugby League...
.
With the creation of the Toyota Cup in 2008 Taylor joined the Warriors under-20 side and in 2009 was made the sides captain. He missed only one of the teams first 46 matches. He was to become the eighth player to be promoted to make his first grade debut from the under-20 side when he was named to play against the Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
on 9 August 2009 however he had to withdraw from the game due to a hamstring injury. He finished his Toyota Cup career with fifty two games and fourteen tries.
Taylor finally made his first grade debut on 3 April 2011 when he came off the bench against the Cronulla Sharks
Cronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
in Taupo.