Geelong Cats forward Harry Taylor is certainly not having the sort of beginning of the season he may have envisioned, but with Geelong winning its first three games, he seems to be willing to give himself some time to adapt to the new role in which he has been thrust to this point of the 2017 Toyota AFL Premiership competition.
Taylor has been shifted to the forward line, even though he is a two-time All-Australian defender, but the Cats moved the veteran ahead after they lost to the Sydney Swans in last year’s preliminary final.
The move was an attempt to lend some support to Tom Hawkins and Daniel Menzel, but to this point, Taylor’s boot has only one behind to show for the strategy.
It may seem odd to move a nine-year veteran defender to the front, but Taylor has been a good target thus far, taking 11 marks, even though that figure is slightly below his career average of 6.29 per game.
How much of the Cats’ current success, as well as the good form of Hawkins and Menzel, can be attributed to the presence of Taylor is difficult to quantify, but according to Cats’ Coach Chris Scott, the decision to move Taylor was more about what is best for the side and less about what is best for Taylor.
Still, it may require time and patience to see if Taylor can successfully make the radical transition from key defender to forward.
