The Giants have fended off rival interest to extend All-Australian defender Sam Taylor on a long-term deal, with the 25-year-old set to stay at the club until at least the end of 2032.

Greater Western Sydney announced the extension on Monday afternoon, with executive general manager of football, Jason McCartney, describing it as a “really exciting day” for the club.

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“Sam is a generational talent and has already proven himself as one of the best defenders in the competition in his career so far,” McCartney said.

“He’s already an All Australian, club champion and leader of our club and is continually focused on bettering himself, so we can’t wait to see where his career at the club takes him.

“His commitment is a fantastic endorsement of our football program under Adam Kingsley and Toby Greene and we’re excited for the future.”

Taylor joined the desk on AFL 360 fresh off signing his new extension, telling Gerard Whateley and Mark Robinson that “it was an easy decision” to re-sign with the Giants.

“The Giants are a great club, I’m surrounded by good people and this is where I want to be,” he said.

“… The club came to my manager early in the season and started discussing it. I was pretty happy to make a call early, I didn’t want to stress about it too much.”

Taylor confirmed there was plenty of rival interest in his signature, revealing his management got a “nice reception” but was adamant he “always knew” he was going to stay.

“I didn’t really want to entertain that [rival interest] either,” he added.

Taylor, who was on track for his second All-Australian honours before suffering a hamstring injury last year, has continued his ascension this season to establish himself as one of the league’s best defenders.

The West Australian tops the AFL for possession gains (9.1), one-on-one defensive contests (lost only 12 per cent) and ranks second for intercept marks (4.4).

Taylor conceded he “probably” would have got more money if he had taken an offer from a rival club but prioritised winning a flag over anything else, and sees the opportunity to do just that with the Giants.

“My main goal is to win a premiership and with the players we’ve got at the moment, we can achieve that,” he said.

“I probably would’ve been offered more at other clubs, but the group we have and the players we need to keep … hopefully we create a culture where players want to be here and I think we’re on that track.”