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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Does anyone watch him play or just listen to his name being called?

How many times does he use the ball, by hand and foot, resulting in an Essendon player taking clean possession of the thing? I'm not even exaggerating when I say it would be close to 1/3 of the time.

This from a guy who us fundamentally an outside midfielder. Between him, Shiel and Heppell it's not wonder we torch our forwards. The expression "couldn't hit the side of a barn" comes to mind.

If I can post his champion data highlights video for the game here, I will.

You are not the only one to notice he can be rather scrappy disposal wise. Does some really good stuff but has to find a way to stop the poor disposals at critical times. One reason we are not a top side is the fact our prime movers can murder the ball quite often.
 
Jun 9, 2007
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You are not the only one to notice he can be rather scrappy disposal wise. Does some really good stuff but has to find a way to stop the poor disposals at critical times. One reason we are not a top side is the fact our prime movers can murder the ball quite often.
It’s one thing to acknowledge what deficiencies a player needs to work on, but it’s another thing again to only focus on those deficiencies and neglect to appreciate the significant gains made. Let’s celebrate the fact that he is consistently contributing right to the end of games and actually influencing results.
 
It’s one thing to acknowledge what deficiencies a player needs to work on, but it’s another thing again to only focus on those deficiencies and neglect to appreciate the significant gains made. Let’s celebrate the fact that he is consistently contributing right to the end of games and actually influencing results.
Problem is what Bruno mentioned is a massive issue for us. We are way too scrappy with how we use the footy and it has been some of the key players who seem to stuff things up by missing simple targets by hand or foot. How many times do we look like breaking free or scoring only to miss a handball target or kick the ball straight to the opposition.
We have an ordinary forward line and half the time our key ball movers manage to not kick the ball to our advantage.

I will throw Tin Kelly out there. Last year very good but had his moments with turnovers. This year big step up in his disposal and he is close to the best player going around. Yes Darcy has played some good footy but for us to take the next step he is one of a number of players who simply have to be better with the ball.
 
Jun 9, 2007
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Problem is what Bruno mentioned is a massive issue for us. We are way too scrappy with how we use the footy and it has been some of the key players who seem to stuff things up by missing simple targets by hand or foot. How many times do we look like breaking free or scoring only to miss a handball target or kick the ball straight to the opposition.
We have an ordinary forward line and half the time our key ball movers manage to not kick the ball to our advantage.

I will throw Tin Kelly out there. Last year very good but had his moments with turnovers. This year big step up in his disposal and he is close to the best player going around. Yes Darcy has played some good footy but for us to take the next step he is one of a number of players who simply have to be better with the ball.
We have 22 players struggling to hit up targets. Darcy is our most improved player over the last 4-5 weeks and that is what I am impressed by. Yes, there are deficiencies that he needs to work on but I’m just happy that he’s showing that he can impact games consistently at the important moments.
 
Package you're drunk.

Who are you using as your examples of "genuine inside/outside midfielders"?

Is that Stanton or Zaharakis? I bet it's not.

It’s Sloane, the comparison has always been Sloane. He’s baby Sloane
 

blitzer

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Aug 27, 2006
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He's been having some moments of brilliance but also guilty of some terrible stuff ups. Some of his clean pick-ups and quickfire handballing was absolutely terrific. On the flip side he had moments where he turned the ball over and had that dreadful passage of play with Langford where the entire crowd wished we could unsee that. I think he's improving significantly as a player but he's not the finished product yet. Overall though I think his impact with the ball has increased and he's winning more of it more consistently.
 

Charliebrow 16

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Just from watching the game, and not having looked at stats or anything like that, I thought Parish was terrific and one of our best contributors. Did a lot of Heppell’s grunt work and broke away from congestion a few times - confidence is building week by week.
 

BrunoV

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May 5, 2009
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It’s one thing to acknowledge what deficiencies a player needs to work on, but it’s another thing again to only focus on those deficiencies and neglect to appreciate the significant gains made. Let’s celebrate the fact that he is consistently contributing right to the end of games and actually influencing results.



"Ball winning" for a player like Parish is fundamentally structural. He is not winning first touch from stoppages (it doesn't make sense for him). Watch him play inside. He runs ahead of the contest or back for the first receive from the stoppage.

Having the freedom to run around kick chasing is also structural in the sense that you're freed to play that role. Notice how Redman, Laverde and even Landford are absent from the TV for such extended periods. That's structural. Mitch Brown, bless him, is always running around because he plays the high half forward role.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the role Parish is being asked to play, and that's not a criticism of Parish per se, it's part of the "spread", the problem is Parish can't use the thing to be effective while playing the role.

Have Redman or Langford run ahead of those contests and watch the inside 50s covert automatically to marks by leading forwards and scoring shots (missed by those leading forwards).
 
Parish being scrappy is a fair point, but is the problem the skill level or the game plan.

I bring up the game plan because I don't see the goods sides basically throwing the ball around in such a scrappy fashion.
West Coast last quarter Friday night.;)
 
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