He had 11 yesterday aswell. huge!
Sometimes people might take a while for the opportunity to arrive, but when it does, take it with both hands.
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Thought last year would have been his break out year, then thought he may have reached his ceiling.
Having Shiel out plus caldwell has helped Parish grab his opportunity, but probably more than that - woosha gone has helped too.
Our ball movement from stoppages looks good when parish gets it then releases it to Merrett / McGrath.
He’s playing with such confidence. He’s like completely different player to what he has been in the past.
It’s a huge tick for truck that he has been able to get this sort of form out of him, even if it was a clear as day move to make.
Heaps of players across the board are having nearly career best form, come to think of it:
Franga
Tippa
Zach
Parish
Snelling
Redman
Ridley
Hind
Stringer
Langford
Wright
Heppell even after a slow start is playing very well
That’s not something that ever happened in the previous few years IMO. Good development.
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Now I know for sure Dasha can play with the big boys, when he jumped full-on face to face with a Mummy tackle on Goldy, who was duly pinged for HTB.
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#3 ‘On the rise’: Bomber Parish makes his mark as a midfield force
One of Essendon’s on-field plans last week was to help star midfielder Zach Merrett handle a tight tag from Fremantle. But the Dockers’ focus on and off the ball on Merrett allowed Darcy Parish, once again, to get off the leash. Parish has done it so regularly this season that one club great believes it’s just a matter of time before he is targeted by rival stoppers.
Since morphing into an inside midfielder in round three through necessity when Jye Caldwell and Dylan Shiel were lost to long-term injuries, Parish has flourished.
Drafted with pick No.5 as a midfielder in 2015, he had been somewhat of a wasted talent while rotated as a midfielder and high half-forward in recent seasons, including in defeats to Hawthorn and Port Adelaide to start the season. But he has been on a tear since round three, including 42 disposals when claiming the Anzac Medal against Collingwood, 35 against the Giants and 39, including 10 clearances, against the Dockers last week when the Bombers finally eked out a close win.
Brave, a fine clearance specialist and possessing creativity and ability to find the goals, Parish’s rise has taken the sting out of the failed bid to secure Bulldog Josh Dunkley through the trade period.
However, club great Matthew Lloyd said tougher challenges await Parish.
“He is in great form due to his ability to get from contest to contest. He can win both inside and outside ball and he is a line-breaker who kicks goals. A tag on him would not be far away so that will be his next challenge as a midfielder on the rise,” Lloyd told the Sunday Age .
The Kangaroos on Sunday face a similar conundrum at Marvel Stadium as the Dockers did. Should they also tag Merrett, who still had 22 touches against the Dockers, it in all probability will allow Parish to again run wild. And that can only be danger for the Kangaroos, for Parish has averaged 32.4 disposals, eight clearances and 6.3 loose-ball gets per game since round three - the third most in each category across the league. For his part, Parish, who has long wanted more time in the midfield, cannot believe any side would be “stupid” enough to not send a tag to Merrett.
“It’s just the respect he has earned and I guess the way he has been going about his business. He is one of the top players in the comp and it’s great to work alongside him,” Parish said on the Bombers’ website. “I think teams are stupid if they don’t put a tag to him these days and he can be so damaging and he sets up so much of our offence. His ability to just man up our opponents at stoppages and play a real selfless role for the team really helped me out … I guess these little acts ‘Junior’ is building in his game is taking him to another level. We will keep working with him and supporting him. He is a star.”
Rounds 3-9: Average, rank
- Disposals: 32.4, third
- Looseball gets: 6.3, third
- Handball receives: 13, seventh
- Clearances: eight, third
- Inside 50s: 5.9, equal seventh
Coach Ben Rutten says there is a “cost-benefit when you want to play a tag”, by that he means that if Merrett is the focus of an opponent, then Parish “gets an opportunity to do what he does”. And with a maximum 10 AFL Coaches Association votes last weekend, leaving him tied with Merrett on 29, it’s clear what he can do.
“I am just trying to play my role for the team at the end of the day, obviously building on that connection with the midfield group, working along Junior and Andy [McGrath] in particular,” Parish said.
Still only 23, Parish and Merrett, 25, are key components of the latest “baby Bombers” squad the club hopes can eventually deliver a 17th premiership.
They are linked on field and, in a way, off it. Each is in All-Australian contention - Parish was sixth in last year’s Essendon best and fairest, his best finish - and each is off contract and keeping a close eye on the direction the club is taking.
The Bombers have significant salary cap space, reportedly up to $2 million to work with, and Rutten is confident Parish, a former Geelong Falcon managed by Phoenix Management, will ink a new contract when negotiations intensify later in the season.
“We are happy with where it is at with Darcy. My main priority at the moment is that he is playing well and that’s good to see. The contract stuff will play out as the season rolls on but happy with where it’s at,” Rutten said.
It remains to be seen whether Parish’s time through the midfield is reduced when Shiel (knee) and Caldwell (long-term hamstring) return and what balance is struck there but Parish cannot be blamed if he seeks assurances that he can continue to play a major role in the heartbeat of the ground.
However, what he really craves is team success.
“I am trying to just put my best foot forward and help this team in the direction we want to get to. Whatever I can do to help the team, whatever is necessary, [I will do] as well,” Parish said.
89% disposal efficiency
8 centre clearances
elite
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An Essendon coach admitting there’s at least sometimes a small amount of benefit to playing a tag - it’s been a while since I’ve seen that. Next step, we actually try it some time…
We should have taken Oliver.
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Plays like a no.10 in association football. Really proficient and finding space in between the lines, changing angles and initiating attacks.
Some one is surely going to tag him soon to stop all the uncontested ball he’s getting. He’s not the worlds best kick but he has great vision and an awareness of how to change the angle of attack which makes him extremely damaging.
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This triggers me.
He didn’t morph into an inside mid, that’s always been his best position
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Was it just me or was Darcy going head-to-head with cunnington for most of the game?
I think he’d actually be one of our mids who could handle a tag quite well, definitely thrives a lot off contested ball. Probably a reason why people would choose to tag Merrett over him too I rckn
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Quite possibly, we’ll see that put to the test pretty soon I’d say
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Langers went to Cunnington in centre bounces for the last quarter and impeded him a lot.
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Darcy won 9 votes in the AFCA Player of year Rnd 10 moves to 6th .
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Darcy Parish $26 for the Brownlow
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Riley Beveridge on AFL exchange just now said that Parish would be equal 3rd in the Brownlow leaderboard. Predictor has him on 14 votes, behind Bont, Petracca & tied with Mccluggage.
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