Elijah Taylor has fronted teammates and apologised for his brazen quarantine breach, with Sydney captain Luke Parker declaring it is up to the young gun to win back respect and fulfil his AFL potential.
Taylor has been banned for the rest of this season after his partner entered the Swans’ biosecurity bubble in Perth, while the pair are also set to be fined by WA Police.
The 19-year-old has since been subjected to online racist abuse.
Both issues were addressed at Wednesday’s meeting at the club’s hub, where a nervous Taylor vowed to “cop his whack” for what Parker termed a “really poor decision”.
“It’s always hard, it doesn’t matter what reason you’re addressing the group for, as an 18 or 19-year-old kid when there are 60 or 70 people in the room,” Parker told reporters.
“It’s also the right thing to do.
“He was remorseful.
“You have to take his word for it … he’s now got to make some choices to earn the respect back from the group.
“Now it’s about actions.”
Parker noted Taylor was already in no doubt about teammates’ views of a mistake that had the potential to halt the season.
“He made a few phone calls a few days before, when he was in quarantine, to the leaders and a few close mates,” Parker said.
“We still need him to grow as a person and we want to give him every opportunity to have a successful AFL career.
“The group is going to do everything we can to support him.
“No doubt he’s got the talent.”
Parker was unsure whether Taylor, who grew up in Western Australia before being drafted by the Swans in 2019, would remain in the club’s hub for the duration of the season.
Taylor, who was given the honour of becoming the first Swan to don the No.37 since Adam Goodes’ retirement, has shown flashes of brilliance in his four-game career.
Parker joined Lance Franklin and AFL boss Gillon McLachlan in condemning the troll who abused Taylor this week.
“It’s always disgusting to see … it’s very easy for people to hide behind a computer screen,” Parker said.
“But we checked in on him to make sure he’s alright. We want to make sure that’s stamped out.
“The club has called it out, a few players have called it out.”
Parker is adamant Sydney won’t lose focus on Saturday’s clash with Fremantle amid the Taylor saga and Dane Rampe’s season-ending hand injury.
