New Zealand Warriors head coach Nathan Brown has paid praise to former Titan Ashley Taylor for the form he has shown since arriving at the club.
While the 26-year-old had previously been on a rich deal while with Gold Coast, the under-the-pump playmaker is currently on a train and trial deal with the Mount Smart side.
Although there remains no certainty that Taylor will be taken on by the Warriors ahead of the 2022 season, Brown has expressed that the Toowoomba native has done his chances no harm during their pre-season sessions in Redcliffe.
“He’s been really positive, and his training has been really good,” Brown expressed on SEN.
“If he can be as consistent as what he has shown so far, we are quite positive that Ash can have a really good impact on our footy club.
“The pressure on him at our club is going to be far less than what he [previously] felt."
Taylor made upwards of 100-appearances for the expansion franchise between 2016 and 2021, however, underwhelming performances and the Titans' decision to opt for youthful halves next season saw the Queenslander forced out of Justin Holbrook's side.
Still, with the experience of six seasons of first-grade football under his belt, even if Taylor sees little to no action for the Shaky Isles side, his presence at practice - along with Shaun Johnson - is certain to be beneficial for young half Chanel Harris-Tavita.
Despite Johnson's popular return, Brown's stocks remain some of the least experienced throughout the 16-team competition - a fact that was not lost on the 48-year-old.
“We need them all to train consistently well for a long period of time,” he stated.
“That’s where our growth is going to come from.”
With the Warriors recently commencing their pre-Christmas program in Queensland, Brown claimed that it was less than ideal for the club to still be away from their Auckland headquarters.
“Two years in a row of coaching staff and players all living together and seeing each other every day; I’m not sure that’s conducive to the best sporting environment,” he said of the team's ad hoc situation.
However, the former Dragons and Knights boss explained that his charges had sought to mix things up this off-season.
“The players have sourced out their own places to live and they’re not living in a block of apartments together," Brown divulged.
“Players having their own lives away from footy will somewhat help us too.”
Brown also suggested that irrespective of the possibility of another season spent away from their adoring fans and familiar conditions, the current road before the club appeared smoother than 12-months ago.
“This time last year, we were training in two separate countries,” he said.
“Being in one location is great. We’ve got a terrific setup. We’ve got coaches offices … we didn’t have that luxury last year.”
Brown's first season at the helm of the Warriors saw him finish with both an 8-16 record and a 12th place finish on the competition table.
While September football once again remained off the cards for the premiership-less organisation, the Australian steward's next steps to claiming Kiwi success will begin when the Warriors take on St George Illawarra in Round 1 in mid-March of 2022.
