FORMER Super League forward and new Oldham signing Elijah Taylor is entering the twilight of his career at the age of 33.
After an illustrious career in the NRL, playing for the likes of New Zealand Warriors, Penrith Panthers and Wests Tigers, and three years in the UK with the Salford Red Devils, Featherstone Rovers and now Oldham, Taylor has a few irons in the fire.
On a potential coaching career, Taylor admits he has thought about it.
“I’ve thought about coaching and I think I could do it. I don’t know if I want all the stress that comes with it, though,” Taylor told League Express.
“I’ve got my pilot’s license and that’s what I will get back into when I go back to Australia, but the longer I stay here the more I think coaching is a viable option because there is a lot of stuff I can give back to the game.
“For the time being, though, I am enjoying training with the boys and making a bit of history here with Oldham. I’m just cruising.”
Looking to the future is always important, especially for someone like Taylor who had to go through the agony of losing $400,000 – which equates to £211,000 – to someone he thought he could trust.
His former manager, Ian Miles, had misappropriated $400,000 with Taylor discovering 937 unauthorised transactions that went to funding Miles’ lavish personal lifestyle.
For the 33-year-old, it still hurts looking back at the horror today.
“There is a long back story, I met him when I was 16 at the New Zealand Warriors. I was a young kid, I built up trust and a relationship over four years. He became a bit of a father figure for myself.
“He helped me off the field with a lot of things, sponsorship and my off-field career and I gave him access to my bank accounts and that was pretty much my downfall.
“I learnt a lot from those days and that episode of my life. It taught me a lot of hard lessons and I’ve come through the other side, moved on from it but when I do look back it does hurt.
“I’ve never recovered anything from it. It was pretty bad.”
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