AFL Player # 3: Darcy Parish - Won't play round 2 due to hamstring awareness - 22/3

03 - parish.jpg

Contract Status: Unrestricted free agent 2028 or 2029
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 18, doug85
 
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I traded him out of my ultimate footy team 3 weeks ago because he wasn’t getting opportunity.

🤦‍♂️

Please trade out all other Essendon players. :thumbsu:
 

blitzer

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 27, 2006
7,483
8,749
House
AFL Club
Essendon
Who would have thought a ball-winning midfielder would thrive in the midfield. Crazy.

Lots of players don't get to play the exact role they would prefer, its not just at our club. Look at the Western Bulldogs, pretty much everyone that plays forward there except Gowers are all really midfielders that are stuck playing up forward.

Generally only the better players get to play the pure midfield roles (for us its probably Shiel, Merrett and Heppell). Nearly everyone else has to be versatile enough to be effective up forward (or maybe down back). We may yet gain advantage from the time Parish spent up forward because make no mistake he will still have to spend time up there even if its not his ideal position.
 
Jun 11, 2007
34,086
29,320
Victoria
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Bayern, Milan, Boston Celtics
Blitzer has nailed it with his post - Yes, Parish is benefiting from more time in the midfield and should continue to improve - But there are times when you MUST play out of your preferred position.
Not when it's because Myers is in your spot though.
No knock on Myers but we've seen his ceiling and parish offers more

Happy to keep Myers around for when the likes of shiel, heppell, parish or merrett may not be available.

We have looked better with parish on the ball at the expense of Myers in the side.
It was madness it took so long to happen
 
Not when it's because Myers is in your spot though.
No knock on Myers but we've seen his ceiling and parish offers more

Happy to keep Myers around for when the likes of shiel, heppell, parish or merrett may not be available.

We have looked better with parish on the ball at the expense of Myers in the side.
It was madness it took so long to happen

So what happens if Parish is having a stinker of a game in the midfield ? Of course you move forward or back during the game - What happens if Parish is not 100% fit for an important game ? Do you leave him in the midfield for the whole game or rotate him forward to get best use of his abilities on the day - too many see games only in black and white.
 
So what happens if Parish is having a stinker of a game in the midfield ? Of course you move forward or back during the game - What happens if Parish is not 100% fit for an important game ? Do you leave him in the midfield for the whole game or rotate him forward to get best use of his abilities on the day - too many see games only in black and white.

The tactical use of a player on game day (whether it's Parish or anyone else) is very different to the strategic usage the club has been rolling with reagrding Myers and Parish (to this point). I don't think anyone is saying that Parish shoudl play exclusivly in the midfield regardless of fitness, form or function; but it has surprised quite a few people that we've persisted with a strategy that saw him more often than not played in roles that didn't seem to suit him as well, which may have been detrimental to his improvement as a player.
 
So what happens if Parish is having a stinker of a game in the midfield ? Of course you move forward or back during the game - What happens if Parish is not 100% fit for an important game ? Do you leave him in the midfield for the whole game or rotate him forward to get best use of his abilities on the day - too many see games only in black and white.

Definitely move him like we may do with Merrett or Hepp but why on earth would you play him 80% up forward (Swans) when one of your other inside mids (Myers) was stinking it up? There’s been plenty of other times when Parish has spent vast amount of the game HF or wing while last Myers doesn’t do enough inside
 

ghostdog

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 18, 2008
16,009
11,854
gondawanaland
AFL Club
Essendon
For all the talk about how short our mids are it's good to see that with Parish, the fight in the PIG was measured well. And if we're going by his numbers over 3 games, how good is his upside when Smith and Shiel return?
 
From Twomey’s article...”Spent 80% of time up forward against Swans”.....while Myers laboured in the middle.
I liked this bit
With Parish in the centre square, Essendon has won the clearance 60 per cent of the time (31 clearances from his 52 centre bounce attendances)...... Without him in the middle, Essendon wins the clearance 46 per cent of the time
Probably best to just play him in the middle, but what do I know about coaching.
 
Get to know you article about him

Nickname: Dasha
Any pre-game superstitions or routines: Left boot before right
Greatest individual effort you have seen on the footy field: Sam Draper kicking four goals
A player from another team you would love to play with and why: Pendles - love the way he plays
Best rule in footy and why: Holding the ball - good on the highlights reel
Your favourite TV football show: Front Bar
Favourite commentator and why: BT - has a crack
Favourite meal the night before a game: Pasta bolognese
Which teammate should appear on the next series of The Bachelor? Matt Guelfi
Teammate most likely to succeed after football and why: Zacka - he knows everyone
Which teammate belts out your club theme song with the most gusto? David Myers
Favourite Netflix series: You
Favourite comedian: Michael Hurley
Favourite animal and why: Lion – king of the jungle
Favourite section of the AFL Record: Puzzles
Best gift you have received: Coffee machine
If you won Tattslotto, what is the first thing you would buy? Golf course
Your favourite holiday destination: New York
The most famous person you have met: Joker
A famous person you'd most like to meet: Lebron James
Dream job if you weren’t a footballer: Golf player
Dream place to live in the world: America
The funniest/weirdest thing that has happened to you: Wim Hof
What scares you? Josh Begley
What is the one talent you wish you had? Hit the golf ball straight
https://m.essendonfc.com.au/news/2019-06-09/get-to-know-darcy-parish
 
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