Taylor made for Victory

Jodie Taylor heading the Melbourne attack | (Credit: Getty Images)

While the Melbourne Victory have been one of the best defensive sides in the first two seasons of the Westfield W-League, the Victorian side has struggled to score freely.

To address this problem in Season Three, prolific English striker Jodie Taylor has the joined the ranks.

A native of Birkenhead, England, its in the American Collegiate system that Taylor has made her name with the attacker ending her stint at Oregon State University as one of the top strikers in the League.

Taylor finished with an impressive 47 goals and 19 assists and made history by becoming the first player to receive All-Pac 10 First Team accolades four years straight.

Upon completing her studies, the 24 year old is widely tipped to become the first footballer to be inducted into the Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame.

Before landing on our shores, Taylor also logged time with several W-League sides including the Pali Blues, Boston Renegades and finally the Ottawa Fury where she finished the season as the 6th top scorer with 10 goals and 4 assists.

Taylor suiting up for Oregon State

Although thousands of miles away in the US, Jodie Taylor's achievements did not go unnoticed with her reward being caps with the English U-19 and U-23 National Teams.

Taylor has yet to be capped at senior international level but a good W-League season could just see her in contention for a World Cup squad berth.

Jodie, welcome to Australia. How have you found your stay so far?

I am really enjoying it and I feel like I have settled in really well. The girls have been great and that has really helped me get settled in.

I feel like I have been here for months although I have never been this way [in Australia] before.

How did you first get into football and what were you're earliest memories?

I joined my first girls team when I was 11 but my earliest memory of playing is with my Dad in the back garden.

I think he really wanted a boy but when my twin and I were born, we were the third and fourth girls, I think he realised it wasn't going to happen.

So my first memories are my Dad throwing balls to me and I am volleying them back to him while my twin sister is doing cartwheels around us.

When did you realise that you realise that you might have some talent and you could achieve something in the game?

I loved playing from my earliest memories. I joined Tranmere from when I was 11 until I left for the US. I got told that I wasn't very good when I was younger and it wasn’t until I was 14 or 15 that anyone could see that was pretty good. That's when I got spotted to play for the English National Team.

Moving to the US for College appears to have been a big decision. How did you find the whole experience and collegiate football?

I loved it, I really did. I definitely don't regret going over there even though it kind of dampened my national team chances.

It was just such a good opportunity that I couldn't turn it down. Just the opportunity to get a degree on a scholarship and to be able to play and train on a daily basis was great.

The collegiate system is really amazing and there is no way I would have had that experience anywhere else.

How did it differ from what you grew up with and what parts of your game improved?

It's fair to say that American football is very much based on athletic ability. Coming from England, technical and tactical ability is a big part of the game.

My game improved in fitness and athleticism definitely. I went from training twice a week with my club in England to almost daily . It was nothing compared to the physical demands you would get in College.

After spending a lot of time in the USA and Canada playing football. Why the W-League?

For some reason it has always been a place that I have been interested in playing in. Just from being in England and in the States you kind of hear about the W-League and it's always been a place that I have wanted to visit.

Now the timing was kind of right so I ended up just getting in contact with people. They put me in contact with clubs and it kind of worked out from there.

What have been your impressions of the League and how does it compare to what you have previously experienced?

I am impressed by it to be honest. When I was coming over here the coaches I spoke with said it compared to the W-League in the States (second tier) but its probably a more competitive. From what I have seen so far there is not much between the teams and you have to up for every game.

As a player you are being challenged week in and week out and is definitely what this League offers.