Rabbitohs forward Dave Taylor a victim of his own stature 
HOW do you fire a loose cannon?
Do you simply light the wick, cover your ears and wait for the bang, or do you carefully point it in the right direction and try to pick your target and your moment?
These are the questions South Sydney are chewing over with gnashed teeth before their final against Canberra tonight as they attempt to rid themselves of 41 years of pent-up frustration in the closing weeks of the premiership.
Of course the loose cannon is Dave Taylor, the backrower who can be as robust as the Coaltrain he is known as or as fragile as a china vase, all in one half of football.
Souths cannot afford a repetition of Taylor's tempestuous first finals game against the Storm when three first-half penalties, including being marched 10m for punting the ball away after a penalty, gave Melbourne the leg-up they needed to grab an early advantage and the match.
Later this year, it becomes the problem of Gold Coast Titans and coach John Cartwright when he starts up at his third NRL club.
Taylor had a poor game in the second State of Origin game and now a poor final.
He still has time to be a Rabbitohs hero before he heads to the Gold Coast, but one more shocker and his reputation as a man with a brittle big-match temperament would be harder to remove than a red wine stain on a white table cloth.
Taylor is often criticised for not creating the damage he should and here, says Darren Lockyer, is part of the problem, for we may be seeing a man chasing his own reputation.
"I think he feels like every time he gets the footy, he's expected to come up with this miraculous play because he's such a big, talented bloke. If he doesn't, he becomes restless," Lockyer said.
"He gets frustrated a bit too easily. He makes a mistake with the footy or he gives away a penalty. He needs to learn to not dwell on mistakes - just get on with it."
Former Souths prop Mark Carroll believes it is win or bust time for Taylor and he would try and stoke the fires of redemption.
"I would be encouraging him to read the papers, see the criticism and shove it up the critics," Carroll said.
"There was something in the papers down here yesterday saying Tim Sheens is reviewing the Australian squad and Taylor's position is in doubt. Get fired up by it. Get involved.
"Show Souths that they will really miss him when they are gone. This could be his last game for the club so you really want to see him fire up.
"For the size he is, he does not create the damage that he should. I just think he should be doing more than 10 or 12 carries a game. That talent he has is amazing. But he really is an enigma.
"If Souths are to really make an impact in this competition, Taylor has to be a big part of it."
Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/rabbitohs-forward-dave-taylor-a-victim-of-his-own-stature/story-e6frfgbo-1226474440075
Topic: #Rabbitohs Try to Control Their Loose Cannon
