He made his VFL debut with Melbourne in the last home-and-away match of the 1922 season, against Fitzroy, at Princes Park, on 16 September 1922.

In 1927 he finished equal second, with Carlton's Alex Duncan, behind Collingwood's Syd Coventry in the Brownlow Medal count.

[12] Midway through July 1934, North Melbourne were on the bottom of the VFL Ladder, having not won any of its nine matches to that stage.

[13] Immediately after the 14 July game against Hawthorn at Glenferrie Oval — a. strong-wind affected game, which Hawthorn won, 6.7 (53) to North Melbourne's 6.12 (48)[14] — he resigned as a player, in disgust at the attitude and performance of the North Melbourne players.

"[16] Given the club's expressed policy of employing only a playing coach, the North Melbourne committee "considered" his request to continue as the team's non-playing coach at its meeting on the Monday evening, and "decided to accept Taylor's resignation with regret", and appointed full-forward, Tom Fitzmaurice, as captain-coach for the remainder of the 1934 season.