His season ended half an hour after achieving a dream NRL debut, which quickly proved to be the Broncos NYC team's downfall, but Holden Cup Player of the Year Ashley Taylor believes "everything happens for a reason".
With Taylor signing with the Titans for the next two seasons he leaves the Broncos with the lone first grade game under his belt after a compound fracture in his hand ended his career at the club prematurely.
Telling NRL.com his award-winning trip to the Dally Ms on Monday meant everything to him after producing 27 try assists in 18 games, Taylor refused to lament on his NYC team's straight sets departure from the finals following losses to Penrith and the Warriors.
"The boys and I were playing well heading into the finals and they definitely put up a good fight but just the injury crisis that ran throughout the team ended up getting to us and we couldn't finish it off," Taylor said.
"I would have loved to be out there with the boys to battle it out with the other teams fighting for the grand prize but everything happens for a reason.
"[Regardless] other than debuting for the Broncos at home, it's just another achievement for me that comes with playing rugby league – it's been a dream to win [Player of the Year]."
Of the NYC grand final between the Panthers and the Sea Eagles, Taylor believes Penrith are deserving favourites to take out their second under-20s premiership in three years.
"I reckon Panthers. They have been the team to beat this year; they're the minor premiers for a reason. I thought the Cowboys were going to give it a good crack but obviously they fell short last week to Manly," Taylor said.
"They have all bonded well together by the looks of things, they have plenty of strike power across the field and they'll be hard to stop."
Speaking of Penrith, their coach Cameron Ciraldo has credited his team's 'Mr Versatility' Dylan Edwards.
Hailing from Bellingen – an hour south of Coffs Harbour – Edwards has plugged any hole necessary for the Panthers this season, anywhere from his current place on the wing (where he scored 18 points in Panthers' huge win over the Warriors last week) to hooker.
"Dylan was our best trainer in the pre-season and every week I've said that there has been a new job for him. Whether it's wing, fullback, centre, hooker, he's played them all. "He's sweet to do that and every week he just says, 'Wherever, I just want to be in the team,'" Ciraldo told NRL.com.
"He came to us as a half, I'd heard from up there that he'd played a bit of fullback and he did have some success with us playing fullback.
"At the time during the middle of the year we only had a spot for him playing off the bench at hooker and he did that well, he played centre well, he's just been outstanding for us anywhere he's played."
