Grand final spotlight: Townsville lock Diesel Taylor

Diesel Taylor is a Townsville boy through and through.

Born and bred in the north Queensland city, Diesel loves his hometown and he loves nothing more than the opportunity to represent where he is from.

And this weekend, the 17-year-old will get the chance to do just that when the Townsville Blackhawks take on the Redcliffe Dolphins in the 2024 Cyril Connell Cup grand final.

A strong believer in loyalty, the Western Lions product has been with the same junior club since the ripe age of six, when he started playing rugby league to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Harley.

Now the lock hopes to build the same connections with the Blackhawks in what is his second year of Cyril Connell – and there’s no better way to do that than to be part of the grand final team.

“It’s always good to be loyal to the one club and grow up with them,” Diesel said.

“It’s very good to represent them and know the support I have around me.

“My loyalty… it’s just from my family. Mum and dad have always been really loyal and taught us to be loyal.

“If you don’t, a lot of bad things can come your way. That’s how I’ve been raised up. If you’re not loyal, you’ll get some bad karma.

“I’m very privileged. It’s going to be very good to get out there and represent Townsville this weekend.”

Diesel – who is also a turf farmer and works for BCF – has big dreams of his path forward in the game.

The next step beyond this year for him is Mal Meninga Cup with the Blackhawks, but he also has his ultimate goal which is, of course, to play NRL one day.

For him, the game of rugby league all started with his family, with his brother Harley his biggest influence.

“Watching him play and all that sort of stuff, it’s been really good for me,” Diesel said.

“He’s had the most impact on me. He was a lot older so whenever he would make teams, he would learn a heap and come home and teach me things I didn’t know. He got me more skills and efforts.

“What I loved about it was the contact side of it… it was really good.

“That’s what I loved and being around all my friends and the boys and having good times and experiences with them. It’s a team sport, not a selfish sport, that’s what I love about it.”

In this year’s Cyril Connell Cup, the Blackhawks were extremely dominant in Pool A, going undefeated with six straight wins.

They continued that dominance last week when they knocked the Western Clydesdales out of the finals race, setting up a date with the Redcliffe Dolphins at Totally Workwear Stadium on Saturday.

Coached by Nathan Norford, the Blackhawks are now looking to make their own little piece of history.