Taylor returned from his extended injury absence to post just 44 in GWS's dominant 49-point away win over Melbourne at Traeger Park — 22 points below his 66 BE in a game his team controlled from start to finish. The context matters: this is his first AFL game since Round 0, a gap of nearly four months. The 44 reflects expected rust, not a role or form concern. At $446.3k with no SC average to anchor the price, the valuation is entirely speculative. The previous avoid verdicts (R2-R3, following the R0-R1 buy recommendations) were correct — he was unownable while injured. Now he is back, the question shifts to how quickly he can build into the 81-point average that made him a cash-cow target in preseason. Watch — the buy thesis from R0-R1 requires confirmation at the senior level before re-entering consideration.
PLAYERS / SAM TAYLOR
Updated 28 June 2026
Sam Taylor
#144/185·⚠ test - Hamstring (Test)
DEF
Price $385kBE 57Owned —Avg 53.0
ROOKIEBIBLEVerdict
◉ WATCH
Signals1/3 · Weak alignment
Form
ImprovingTrajectory
-$2k/wkConsistency
VariableRecent formSeason avg 53
104▲
61▲
53
Comparable PicksWhy this comparison · Same primary position (DEF), ±$200k price band
Sam Taylor
DEFIsaac Quaynor
DEF—
—
Form
R12
44
R14
53
R15
61
R16
104
R10
94
R11
86
R12
63
R13
82
R15
100
R16
49
Pricing
Price$385k
Price$386k
Breakeven57
Breakeven57
Decision
Should I trade Sam Taylor?
Form, breakeven, and a comparable replacement weighed up.
Intel feed
Recent intel
Injury Watch· T3
Sam Taylor mentioned as key returnee over next couple of weeks from injury. Anticipated to be a significant boost for GWS when fit.
Community Questions
What people are asking about Sam Taylor
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