GWS defender Sam Taylor has admitted he was given a “good lesson” by Western Bulldogs spearhead Sam Darcy during Thursday night’s blowout loss, but promised things will be different next time.
Darcy, alongside Aaron Naughton, tore through the Giants' backline at Marvel Stadium with a combined 10-goal haul in an 88-point drubbing that Taylor labelled “embarrassing”.
The matchup marked the first time Taylor had been tasked with manning the 208cm Bulldogs prodigy, and it left him eager for a rematch.
“It was definitely a good lesson and I’ll take a lot out of it. I’m excited to play on him next time,” Taylor told foxfooty.com.au. “There’s a lot of things I want to do different, a lot of my positioning I’ll change up. He’s a Goliath, he reminds me of Buddy Franklin.”
“I’ll slowly grind him down, and I’ll get him.”
Taylor owns up as Giants slump to worst loss under Kingsley
Despite leading the league in intercept marks and possessions, Taylor struggled to make an impact, failing to register in either category until deep in the third quarter.
Still, he was quick to shoulder responsibility and refused to blame the absence of Jack Buckley, Toby Greene or Josh Kelly for the blowout.
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“It wasn’t the fault of the players who came in. It was everyone's fault, it was my fault, it was the leaders’ fault. We didn’t get the job done,” he said.
Taylor also praised Darcy’s rare blend of size, strength and athleticism, calling him a “unicorn” and highlighting just how difficult he is to shut down. But with crucial clashes against North Melbourne, Gold Coast and St Kilda on the horizon, the Giants’ vice-captain is determined to set things right.
“It’s in our hands, which is great,” he said. “Hopefully, this percentage loss won’t hurt us come September.”