A graduate of the AFL Academy and taken with pick 28 in the 2017 AFL Draft, Sam Taylor has firmly established himself as one of the competition’s best defenders. A country boy from Western Australia, and the third of seven children, Taylor had a breakout season in 2022 where he was named in his first All Australian team and won his first club champion award. An elite ability to both shut down his opponent and attack through his brilliant intercept skills, Taylor has been a driving force in the GIANTS’ backline for the past few seasons. Taylor’s brilliant 2023 season had him firmly in the conversation for a second All-Australian blazer but was ultimately left out after a serious hamstring injury saw him fall short of the minimum 15 game requirement to make the side. Taylor will remain a GIANT until at least the end of the 2025 season after signing a three-year contract extension in 2021.
