Elijah Taylor is one of Sports’ true gentlemen, he is always willing to give back to the grassroots and do what he can to help promote Rugby League and the community. One example is the work he does surrounding the promotion of Water is the Best drink in partnership with the Northland DHB and in a world where many sports stars can charge a premium for this kind of service Elijah does it for the pure good of the game and the good of Northland.
In an exclusive interview with RLN surrounding the upcoming game Elijah was clearly gutted about missing out on the opportunity of playing a test in his beloved Northland. “I don’t normally work towards games and take each week as it comes, but when it was announced back in April that there was a game at Toll Stadium I put a big ring around the calendar entry.”
“Then I ruptured my ACL in a bizarre way, it didn’t happen in a tackle or anything it just happened, that was what was most disappointing about it – but hey that’s football. I missed out on the Panthers semi-finals run and now I’m going to miss out on the Four Nations as well. I was looking forward to playing in Northland, it has always been my dream to play on the big stage in Northland.”
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
In true testament to his character, he goes on to say that he was happy in that his absence has given the chance to Jason Taumalolo and Tohu Harris who played awesome in the weekend and that it’s going to be hard to make his way back into the test team! Elijah has had a full knee reconstruction and is due back to play on Feb 15th meaning he will also miss the Auckland 9s. Elijah is not sure if he will be coming to Whangarei for the game. “I’m not the kind of player who can watch footy when I can’t be involved, its too frustrating – especially when the game means so much to me. I have a cousins wedding on Saturday – so that’s probably where I will be.”
When asked about influence in his league career Elijah quickly mentions the influence of Jim Larkin, “Jim was great, nothing was ever too hard for him, he was so enthusiastic and really cared about helping the youth come through. I always had issues getting to trainings and games and Jim always went out of his way to help. It’s really great to see that Jim is still working in the game.”
Helping young kids out is something that Elijah takes to heart, he keeps a close eye on the development of James Harris, Hamish Pomare and Corey Harawira-Naera (Northlanders who were signed by Penrith in 2013). He says it’s tough for them not having any family close by, but they are good kids and James and Corey are doing exceptionally well. “It’s good to have more Northlanders in Penrith, I try to keep in contact with the boys and we go out for dinner about once a month. There are great systems in Penrith, so there is every chance that they will succeed.”
We wish Elijah all the best for his recovery and hope to see Elijah and the World cup in Whangarei in 2017
