Taylor debuted in round 11, having been called up when the Giants' season was almost at breaking point following four straight losses.

The 19-year-old defender has kept his spot in the side since, playing on the likes of Luke Breust, Jeremy McGovern and Josh Caddy.

GWS have turned their campaign around during that stretch, winning five of six games to rejoin the top eight and remind rivals of their premiership credentials.

Taylor's dominant performance in the Giants' upset win over Richmond, in which he produced some clutch goal-saving efforts and won several critical one-on-one contests, was rewarded with the round-17 Rising Star nomination.

Taylor, described as a competitive beast by coach Leon Cameron, suggested the advice of Davis and Shaw has helped him make the tricky transition into AFL.

"Role models like Phil and Heath have been really good to me, telling me where I can get better," Taylor said.

"The experience they have is priceless. Gleaning as much as possible from them is going to be critical for my future.

"Phil's always talking to me or giving a high-five or thumbs up, little things that help give me confidence that I can play AFL footy."

The feedback from Davis and Shaw hasn't always been positive, of course.

"There's been a few sprays. Sometimes I've run into the wrong position or got in the way," Taylor said.

"But I'm more more confident now and know where to run."

The West Australian was drafted to GWS last year with high hopes of playing a single AFL game this year, but has since reset his goals.

"I want to cement my spot, become a better player and hopefully push for September," Taylor said.

"Finals would be a dream come true.

"The back end of the season is a good time to find form. We're going to take a lot of confidence out of the games against Richmond."

Australian Associated Press