It’s no surprise to me that Dais has had a huge influence on Tayla. It was Daisy who invited me,an ex-netballer who had never kicked a footy,to my first training session six years ago,gave me a pair of boots and helped me fall in love with sport again.
The ability to share the game with others is what makes Daisy the person,player and captain she is. One of the top players for score involvements this year;she can do it both on and off the field. Dais’ work is best imagined as an iceberg. On the surface we see the fierce competitive leader,however the majority of the work done humbly below the surface and away from the public eye is what makes her one of a kind.
She doesn’t accept mediocrity,she is her own harshest critic and her determination is married with a genuine curiosity about how to make her teammates better as a kind of player-coach. Enter,Tayla Harris.
On her day,Tayla is a big dangerous forward capable of taking some of the best contested marks the game has seen. She is an aerial master and an intimidating athlete. Unfortunately,before this season,the league and its fans hadn’t yet seen this Harris as consistently as they would have liked.
Because of her public profile and her big social media following,Tayla hasalways attracted attention,both positive and negative. There was always going to be a lot of noise around her move from Carlton.
But when I met her for the first time over coffee,it became clear to me that I had an unfair idea of who she really was. She didn’t want to be defined by “the kick” anymore. She wanted to be known for what she did on the field. Tayla has worked harder than anyone this season to be ready to play her part for the Dees.