Murray Taulagi’s 2021 season began in the Queensland Cup – it ended with being named Players’ Player at the Cowboys End of Season Presentation Night tonight.
Taulagi narrowly missed out on a spot in the Cowboys Round 1 side, but would make a try-scoring return in Round 3 and never relinquish his position.
In his first 11 games of the season, Taulagi crossed for a remarkable 10 tries, including five in the space of three outings between Rounds 11 and 13.
Taulagi’s best performance came in Round 11 against Newcastle. The 22-year-old crossed for a memorable hat-trick, to go along with four line-breaks, 10 tackle breaks and a mammoth 192 running metres from just 15 carries.
Off contract entering the season, Taulagi’s breakout season in the NRL was perfectly timed. He inked a two-year contract extension in August for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.