AFL Player # 3: Darcy Parish

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Unrestricted free agent 2028 or 2029
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 18, doug85

 

[Tippa43]

Underrated in the rising star, given he played early and often and also played in a depleted midfield with little protection. First year went straight into the guts! And was successful!! Didnt look out of place. How many first years do that?!

This year he is going to go to another level! He wont be content with VFL!

 

[Gumby2Hurley]

Think its because we know Parish is going to be a superstar and just want to see similar signs from Laverde & Francis so they don't become another Kavanagh.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Agreed. Even uses the ball really well on his left. If he's vanilla, he's Madagascan.

On that topic, do people forget how delicious vanilla is?

totally this. Vanilla is my favourite milkshake flavour.

Let the kid be vanilla. I'm all for it

 

[BrunoV]

Love the way he doesn't hesitate to wheel onto the left if that's the side of his body that is open.

I agree that he is going to have much more of an impact on games this year. Last year was not remarkable because of his impact on games, it was remarkable because he continued to plow away on inside and hold his own.

I'd hope that we are looking to play him as more of an outside mid and winger this year to take advantage of his run and skills. 20 possessions from his this year with a high percentage uncontested should be gamebreaking.

 

[efcboy]

Parish is high on our list for footy smarts - he doesn't have the greatest skills but he more than makes up for this by making smart decisions. He generally always picks the right option, doesn't panic and buys himself time by quickly making the right call. Adding to that he reads the play very well to get into position to accumulate possessions as well.

 

[Maddogm]

he doesn't have the greatest skills

Have you seen him handball?!!

 

[efcboy]

Have you seen him handball?!!

Yes I've also seen him kick

 

[doug85]

His kicking is OK. I felt he was kicking to position last year instead of hitting up a player (e.g. Kicking to the top of the square when there were only defenders).

He just needs to lower the eyes.

His handpass is elite.

 

[doug85]

Levels of underating of this kid is amazing. Flies under the radar amongst our own fans.

Understand the love for guys like Laverde and Francis, they're powerful beasts and exciting when they get going... but this kid... just looks so composed and at home and has since his first game.

Going to be a massive star for mine... he will relish this year as the fifth midfielder or whatever... he's all silk.

Not underrated, there's just no excited anticipation because everyone knows he'll be a star.

There's just not much to say really....

 

[YEMOC NAYR]

For me, I don't underrate him, good performances happened alot last year so it's merely just the standard for him. I know he will be a very good player. Players like Laverde/Francis haven't shown as much as Parish yet, but we know they have serious ability, albeit they have had injury problems

 

[PhoenixBonez]

I reckon he's totally underrated. An example is this board - next to no action is this thread and mountains in that of other young players. People easily forget how good he looked at times last year and aren't even that excited by him.

Even the best 22 thread has some people (not all, granted) leaving him out!

I think we'll see a lot of people (Essendon or not) sit up and take notice this season.

Thought I had posted this in this thread as well, but apparently not, huh. Write up for my boy this year.

Darcy Parish had a stellar start to his career in 2016, making the most of his opportunities playing 20 games for the year. Taken at pick number 5 in the 2015 AFL draft to the delight of Essendon supporters after he was strongly linked to Melbourne’s number 4 pick until about 5 days before the draft when their interest in Oliver leaked to the media. Essendon have said they rated him the number 1 midfielder in the draft, ahead of the likes of Mills (pick 3) and Oliver. Before joining the bombers he had a well decorated junior career being named in the All Australian under 18 team in 2014 as a bottom-ager as well as 2015, averaging 28 touches in the TAC Cup while demonstrating his footy smarts in collecting the ball and distributing with class.

Coming into 2016 there were some doubters out there stating that he wasn’t strong enough or aggressive enough (getting too much outside ball) at the contest and that he doesn’t apply enough pressure or lay enough tackles when he doesn’t have the ball. He proved the exact opposite, being one of the fiercest tacklers at EFC, laying 14 tackles across his first 2 games, finishing with an average of 3.3 for the season including ones like these:

He went on to average 21 touches per game and slotted 6 goals, an area I’m sure he will look to improve on as he builds his endurance, fitness and strength to go forward (Keeping in mind Joel Selwood, one of the best first year players averaged 19 touches across 21 games and booted 7 goals). He was also second only to Zerrett in 2016 in terms of contested possessions at Essendon. His work around the contest and ability to dish out a handball was on show throughout the season.

He was a shining light in a difficult season at the EFC. His highlight of the year came in round 2 when he received his rising star nomination against Melbourne, collecting 21 touches, 8 tackles and kicking the sealing goal.

He was rewarded for his outstanding first year with a 4th place in the rising star award, receiving votes from every judge (except for Gillon “I am the AFL, must destroy everything EFC” McLachlan) and being adjudged the third best player by Spud Frawley and Glen Jackovich.

Not only is he a fantastic talent but he seems like a genuinely great bloke to have around the club.

Darce has been said to be lighting up the track this pre-season as he looks to add bulk and fitness in a push to continue his consistency and cement his spot in the team, learning all he can from “Hep” and “Myersy”.
http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2016-12-30/parish-out-to-improv

 

[PhoenixBonez]

Since then during his match against Collingwood in the NAB Challe... err I mean JLT community series he showed very strong signs once again claiming 24 touches (second only to Zerrett for all players on the ground) and 5 clearances (behind only Watson and Heppell for Essendon) while continuing to demonstrate skills off of both right and left feet and elite handpassing. Safe to say he has put the right foot forward in every possible way that he could have in his short career at Essendon thus far. Training the house down by all reports and surely couldn't have done much more to cement a spot in our best 22 regardless of returning players. Easily in best 18 for mine given upside. Parish, Zerrett, Heppell, Langford, McGrath, Laverde all among our 24 and under potential young gun mids makes plenty to be excited about at Bomberland, just need to see continued improvement from these boys each year for the next few years and that will be a super strong unit.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Not underrated, there's just no excited anticipation because everyone knows he'll be a star.

There's just not much to say really....

That doesn't make much sense for mine.

He's a kid this young, and this good, and using this board as a sample, almost not a single word said about him for a whole offseason.

Massively underrated.

He's obviously most directly linked with Francis given the draft. Parish has achieved far more than him and looked slick as * in the practice match. Could be a big year coming.

And there nothing wrong with the Francis hype - it's just there's none about Parish!

Vanilla? Maybe. So is Heppell then I guess...

Love this kid.

 

[Don35]

That doesn't make much sense for mine.

He's a kid this young, and this good, and using this board as a sample, almost not a single word said about him for a whole offseason.

Massively underrated.

He's obviously most directly linked with Francis given the draft. Parish has achieved far more than him and looked slick as **** in the practice match. Could be a big year coming.

And there nothing wrong with the Francis hype - it's just there's none about Parish!

Vanilla? Maybe. So is Heppell then I guess...

Love this kid.

Think your mis-interpreting. There's nobody here who under rates parish. He burst on to the scene last year and showed us that he'll be A grade.

So, we could spend an entire offseason talking about what we already know or talk more about McGrath, Langford, Francis, the returning players, best 22s etc etc which are far less defined than what everyone already knows about parish. He's a jet!!

 

[Don35]

Fwiw, parish has had 61 pages in here after 1 year, Fantasia has 45 after 3, lanford 58 after 2.

And the 61 pages are all glowing. Nobody is under rating him

 

[Whispering_Jack]

Strange argument is strange.

 

[Beerfish]

In a team where there's so much to be excited about all of a sudden it almost seems as if he's old news.

Good times.

 

[Runk]

Strange argument is strange.

Yeah I don't get it either?

 

[eDPS]

Thought I had posted this in this thread as well, but apparently not, huh. Write up for my boy this year.

Darcy Parish had a stellar start to his career in 2016, making the most of his opportunities playing 20 games for the year. Taken at pick number 5 in the 2015 AFL draft to the delight of Essendon supporters after he was strongly linked to Melbourne’s number 4 pick until about 5 days before the draft when their interest in Oliver leaked to the media. Essendon have said they rated him the number 1 midfielder in the draft, ahead of the likes of Mills (pick 3) and Oliver. Before joining the bombers he had a well decorated junior career being named in the All Australian under 18 team in 2014 as a bottom-ager as well as 2015, averaging 28 touches in the TAC Cup while demonstrating his footy smarts in collecting the ball and distributing with class.

Coming into 2016 there were some doubters out there stating that he wasn’t strong enough or aggressive enough (getting too much outside ball) at the contest and that he doesn’t apply enough pressure or lay enough tackles when he doesn’t have the ball. He proved the exact opposite, being one of the fiercest tacklers at EFC, laying 14 tackles across his first 2 games, finishing with an average of 3.3 for the season including ones like these:

He went on to average 21 touches per game and slotted 6 goals, an area I’m sure he will look to improve on as he builds his endurance, fitness and strength to go forward (Keeping in mind Joel Selwood, one of the best first year players averaged 19 touches across 21 games and booted 7 goals). He was also second only to Zerrett in 2016 in terms of contested possessions at Essendon. His work around the contest and ability to dish out a handball was on show throughout the season.

He was a shining light in a difficult season at the EFC. His highlight of the year came in round 2 when he received his rising star nomination against Melbourne, collecting 21 touches, 8 tackles and kicking the sealing goal.

He was rewarded for his outstanding first year with a 4th place in the rising star award, receiving votes from every judge (except for Gillon “I am the AFL, must destroy everything EFC” McLachlan) and being adjudged the third best player by Spud Frawley and Glen Jackovich.

Not only is he a fantastic talent but he seems like a genuinely great bloke to have around the club.

Darce has been said to be lighting up the track this pre-season as he looks to add bulk and fitness in a push to continue his consistency and cement his spot in the team, learning all he can from “Hep” and “Myersy”.
http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2016-12-30/parish-out-to-improv

That passage of play in the North game was the big confirmation to me that this kid will be a superstar, his work by hand is exceptional and rarely fumbles

 

[doug85]

Think your mis-interpreting. There's nobody here who under rates parish. He burst on to the scene last year and showed us that he'll be A grade.

So, we could spend an entire offseason talking about what we already know or talk more about McGrath, Langford, Francis, the returning players, best 22s etc etc which are far less defined than what everyone already knows about parish. He's a jet!!

Nail.head.hit

 

[Don Won]

I particularly like his second efforts.

 

[Loonerty]

Definitely has one of the best handballs in the side in terms of accuracy as well as vision. Not worried about his kicking at this point, took a while for Jobe as well to get kicking more often.

 

[bombreys]

Definitely has one of the best handballs in the side in terms of accuracy as well as vision. Not worried about his kicking at this point, took a while for Jobe as well to get kicking more often.

Agreed - his kicking isn't exactly poor either. It's just not great.

But again, he's a teenager. Has plenty of time to figure it out.

 

[BrunoV]

Not concerned by Parish's kicking because he's got a fluent, technically correct action that I expect will be able to hold up under pressure. He doesn't seem to possess a flat 50m bullet, so I doubt we'll ever look at him as one the best kicks we have, but he's precise over a long enough distances (like Zaharakis).

Remember that, in general, Merrett's kicking was poor last year (terrible on occasions) and I'd regard him as one of the best kicks at the club (with a text book action).

I put it down to a combination of inexperience, fatigue and the actual and perceived pressure created by not having any protection in the midfield.

 

[Paul_Barnard]

Agreed - his kicking isn't exactly poor either. It's just not great.

But again, he's a teenager. Has plenty of time to figure it out.

I guarantee we'll be talking about his kicking as a strength come the end of the year..
His kicking technique wise is sound, in fact it's fantastic. Sometimes he just made the wrong decision playing for the worst side in the league last year..
Already against the pies his kick to Langers on his left and his bullet to Jobe while running at full pace are 2 examples of kicks/inside 50s only a hand full of our players are capable of..