Harry Taylor

Harry Taylor played another key role in Geelong's 2011 Premiership Winning side against Collingwood. Taylor started the match on Travis Cloke of Collingwood and held him well early, however Cloke soon had a brief "purple patch" of form and booted 3 brilliant goals from outside 50 metres on his natural left boot. The Geelong coaching box decided to try Tom Lonergan on Cloke, and Cloke didn't manage to kick a goal after that move. However Harry Taylor still had a marvelous game, taking 4 critical marks in defense stimulating some Trademark Geelong rebounds. Whilst gathering 10 disposals on the day he was part of the Geelong elite defense who played a pivotal role in cutting off Collingwood's scoring opportunities and setting up play through the Geelong midfield.

This was Taylor's second Premiership Medallion with The Geelong Cats. It came after a stellar year of defensive work on several of the competitions key forwards. It is clear that Geelong's defensive players are a close knit unit with a brief sub-group "defenders" photograph on the field of the MCG with the 2011 Premiership Cup.

Before being drafted he had never been to Geelong and could not locate it on a map. He is fascinated with World War II which led him to start drinking Cognac and to start watching WWII-inspired TV series, Band of Brothers, which he sometimes watches before a game to draw inspiration from. Taylor dislikes metropolitan life, as there are "too many people up there" for his liking. Taylor's high school sweetheart, Michelle Giudice, gave birth to a little boy named James Taylor on 2 June 2010. Tradition has been broken in the Taylor family, after naming the baby boy James, instead of a fourth generation of Harrys.

He is a mature age player who spent three seasons, and played 49 games for East Fremantle in the WAFL. Taylor finished third in the East Fremantle Sharks best and fairest in 2007. Before being drafted Taylor was studying physiotherapy at university, and had never left his home state of Western Australia.

Taylor was considered a surprise selection at pick 17 in the 2007 draft because of his age. Taylor made his debut for the Cats in the first round of the 2008 NAB Cup against Melbourne, in a highly impressive display in defence. He can play at either end of the ground as a key position player, but has made his mark at CHB though he has shown his versatility by kicking three goals in his debut season.

Taylor attended Geraldton Grammar School in Geraldton where he was school captain in 2003 before moving to Perth in 2004 to pursue a possible career in the AFL. In 2001 he was the recipient of the Pierre de Coubertin Award and in 2003 he was one of eight Australian students selected to attend the 4th International Youth Forum in Italy. To help prepare himself for life as a footballer, Taylor worked for a year as a bricklayer to try to gain muscle which would ultimately help him as an AFL footballer. He grew up supporting Adelaide, idolising the high flying Tony Modra.

Harry Taylor (born 12 June 1986) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).