Ash Taylor has found himself at a crossroads in his Rugby League career.

His time in the NRL got off to a great start with the Gold Coast Titans in 2016, when he burst onto the scene and led the Titans to their first finals appearance in six years and took home that year’s Dally M Rookie of the Year award.

Taylor remained relatively consistent throughout the next season and earned himself a multi-million dollar contract extension with the Titans that concluded at the end of 2021.

Unfortunately, once Taylor signed his new deal he failed to live up to the pressure that came with it, and with the emergence of Jamal Fogarty and Toby Sexton, Taylor found himself without an offer to extend his deal on the Gold Coast.

New Zealand Warriors Chief Executive Officer Cameron George has recently confirmed to Stuff NZ that the Warriors were interested in securing his services for 2022.

TITANIC PAY CUT: Former @GCTitans Ash Taylor is close to taking a $900,000 pay cut to continue his NRL career. He is set to sign a train-and-trial contract with @NZWarriors – taking his salary from $20,000/wk to just $1000/wk in the hope of securing a 2022 deal. #NRL @cmail_sport pic.twitter.com/JZ90WRQgJQ

— Travis Meyn (@travismeyn) September 30, 2021

“We met with Ash. We’re here on the Gold Coast and he’s here and is looking for options for next year and we’re looking for options as well to build our depth,” George said.

“We decided to sit down to have a chat with him and it was good to have a chat and get to know him, he’s a good kid.”

George’s confirmation that he had met with Taylor instantly made the Warriors the clear favourites to sign him, and now we have a better idea as to the exact deal the 26-year-old will sign with the club.

The Courier Mail’s Travis Meyn is reporting that Taylor is set to sign a train and trial deal with the Warriors that will see him earn just $1,000 while the club monitors his progress in the offseason and determines whether or not to upgrade him to their top 30 for 2022.

Luke Metcalf from the Sharks, Joseph Manu from the Roosters and Dylan Brown from the Eels have all also been linked with a move to New Zealand, but based on their current deals this could only occur in 2023, with speculation that the Warriors will look to play Manu at five-eighth and Brown at hooker.