Northampton’s ex-AFL star Harry Taylor boots his first ever double-figure goal haul

Sometimes you wait all your life for that big break to come along, and then it does.

It did for star Northampton recruit Harry Taylor over the weekend.

The giant defender-midfielder has played 280 AFL games, won two flags at the top level, taken 1629 marks, had more than 4000 disposals, gained 40 career Brownlow votes, and made nearly 500 tackles.

But he had never scored double-figure majors in a senior game.

In fact his previous best top-level total was six goals, in his 100th game, in round 10 of 2012 against the Giants — he kicked 75 in total across 13 seasons with Geelong.

Until the last round of the GNFL, when all of a sudden he booted 11.

A shift up front for Northampton’s trip to Mullewa last weekend was the difference.

“I finally got a few,” Taylor said. “It was good. I left a few out there, but it was nice to contribute on the scoreboard.

“I’m still getting used to the game and the style of football up here, and finding my feet a bit.

“I’ve played a lot of games as a defender, but it’s always nice to kick a goal or two.

“I kicked 12, I think, once in under-12s, but that was a while ago.” He said he had played in the forward line in patches in the AFL and liked the role, but would go wherever he was put and was “just happy to be out there and enjoying trying to help the team win”.

The game ended 23.15 (153) to 4.6 (30) in Northampton’s favour, with Trent Simpson and Nathaniel Mourambine also on the scoresheet for the Rams and Morris Comeagain, Ethan Merry, Caleb Hawkins and Calvin Wall replying for the Saints.