Career
Taylor was 6"2", an inch taller than fellow Richmond ruckman Jack Dyer and was a well-built centre-half forward, renowned for his strong marking. Taylor served with the 2nd AIF in Borneo during World World War World War II
On 17 May 1947, in the first match that Taylor played after his discharge from the A.I.F., Richmond was playing Hawthorn and Taylor was playing in the ruck. At the first bounce, Taylor punched the ball an amazing 40 yd (37 m) and, at the same time, dislocated his shoulder.
Laurie"s record as a player and as a coach is impressive:
1936–1937, West Adelaide Juniors
1937–1941, 1946, West Adelaide 44 games (127 goals)
1944, West Adelaide/Genelg: 1 game (1 goal)
South Australian Interstate Team: 5 games (7 goals)
1944, 1947, Richmond: 20 games (48 goals, including five 5-goal matches)
1948–1949, Corowa, captain-coach.
Also represented New South Wales in interstate football. 1950, 1952, Glenelg: 28 games (60 goals)
1951, Coolamon, captain-coach of premiership side.
1953, 1954, Narracorte, captain-coach, one premiership. 1955–1956, West Gambier, Captain-coach
His family were also steeped in football.
John Taylor Senior, his father, played 56 games with SANFL club Portuguese Adelaide including their 1914 team which was unbeaten for the entire season.
He played for South Australia five times. He was the first SANFL player to play 250 games. On 30 August 1947, in round 19, South Melbourne played Richmond at the Punt Road Oval.
Laurie Taylor was the Richmond full-forward, and Don Taylor was the South Melbourne full-forward.
Laurie Taylor kicked 5 goals for Richmond, and was one of the best on the ground, whilst Don kicked two goals for South Melbourne. He also played 136 senior games for West Adelaide and Glenelg between 1939 and 1954.
He played for South Australia nine times. He also coached West Adelaide in 1965.
