NZ Warriors debutant Ash Taylor won't be eyeing revenge against his former side, when he lines up against Gold Coast Titans in his first appearance for the Kiwi club this weekend.
Taylor, 26, was let go by the Titans at the end of the 2021 season, having failed to live up to his huge $1 million per year contract with the Gold Coast club.
As a last chance to stay in the NRL, Taylor was signed by the Warriors firstly on a train-and-trial contract at the end of 2021, before being upgraded to a full-time contract earlier this year.
And as fate would have it, after missing last week's season-opening loss to St George Illawarra Dragons, Taylor's first appearance for the Warriors will be against the exact same side that let him go.
But despite the emotion and desire to showcase why he might have deserved to stay with the Titans, Warriors coach Nathan Brown insists that Taylor won't be out for any sort of payback against the club that released him.
Instead, Brown says the end of Taylor's time at the Titans might just be beneficial for all parties - including the Warriors.
"I'm not sure he's got a 'point to prove'," Brown says. "Ash had some difficult times there, and for different reasons at the Titans.
"Sometimes we all respect players' time at their clubs probably comes and they need to move on. Not only for the club's sake, but for their sake.
"That's not to say Ash couldn't have contributed at the Gold Coast this year, in a manner exactly like he's going to contribute for us.
"Sometimes a change is what's needed for all parties. It's not a blight on the player, or the coach, or the club - it's just sort of what's needed at the time.
"I don't think Ash has got a point to prove. I think he'll be excited to play against the Coast, and he'll be excited to play well against them.
"I hope his motivation is not to prove the Gold Coast wrong, but to prove us right for bringing him here, and mostly to put a solid performance in for his new teammates."
Brown also adds that Taylor's importance at the Warriors has only grown in his short time with the Kiwi side.
Taylor will take the reins of the side in the No.7 jersey this week, filling in for the injured Shaun Johnson after he was ruled out with a pectoral injury.
And after sitting out of the Dragons defeat, Brown emphasises that Taylor is ready to do his talking on the field.
"He's certainly more ready to play now than what he was when he trialled with us," Brown says.
"He's in a much different situation than what he was at the [Gold] Coast. There was a lot of talk around the finance, what he was getting paid and being the face of the place.
"Here, he's a very important player for us, but he's no more important than anyone else out there.
"At the Coast when he was there, with the size of his wages, there was a huge amount of pressure on him. I think there's a lot less pressure on him here.
"He seems excited, and he certainly seems ready to have a hit-out."
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