AFL Player # 3: Darcy Parish

[Beerfish]

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

 

[Agronomus]

He's been here for 9 of our 20 years of mediocrity as an inside midfielder which equates to the centreman or ruckrover.
This was Dodo’s biggest f**k up!

 

[The Donners]

Doing a bit more reading this morning, Port board is also not entirely convinced Houston is staying and thinks a trade that involves Parish for Houston could be what's being workshopped.

Their supporters threw up Parish + EFC First for Houston, but I'd have thought a player swap is about correct weight? Have to give quality to get quality and Houston for Parish would help re-balance our midfield and open up opportunities for Hobbs and Tsatas next year.

Houston is a gun but I wouldn’t want to sell the farm for him. He’s highly unlikely to be playing or challenging for a premiership at Essendon.

I’d prefer Houston nets Port 2 late first round picks and we get one of those for Parish IF Parish is being shipped off. Take Armstrong with our first pick and Kako with our second round pick and our forward line is potentially set for the next 10 years.

 

[The Donners]

He's been here for 9 of our 20 years of mediocrity as an inside midfielder which equates to the centreman or ruckrover.
This was Dodo’s biggest f**k up!

He’s won as many All-Australians as Heppell who some have labeled a legend of the club.

 

[Skipper_]

He's been here for 9 of our 20 years of mediocrity as an inside midfielder which equates to the centreman or ruckrover.
This was Dodo’s biggest f**k up!

By that logic Zach Merrett is also a failure since he’s been around for 11 of the 20 years.

 

[Agronomus]

I wonder if he plays in dodo supplied I tailan studded boat shoes

 

[Agronomus]

He’s won as many All-Australians as Heppell who some have labeled a legend of the club.

Simon Madden, Timmy Watson, Hird and Sheedy are legends of Essendon.

 

[Agronomus]

Simon Madden, Timmy Watson, Hird and Sheedy are legends of Essendon.

Oh yeah and the early Danihers

 

[dank420_]

 

[BrunoV]

He’s won as many All-Australians as Heppell who some have labeled a legend of the club.

You're right, Heppell is probably worse.

 

[Yoda_]

He is probably the one who needs to "buy in" and get with the program (Ala defensive running). If he can bring a defensive side to his capabilities then perhaps this midfield group might not be too bad.

 

[Vander18]

He is probably the one who needs to "buy in" and get with the program (Ala defensive running). If he can bring a defensive side to his capabilities then perhaps this midfield group might not be too bad.

Mate….he's what 27? It’s not going to change at this point.

Also need to consider that it’s at least partly an issue of capability, not just intent. He is just a very average runner by AFL standards.

 

[The Donners]

I don’t mind Parish but it might’ve been better for the club to have traded him this year.

 

[The Donners]

Mate….he's what 27? It’s not going to change at this point.

Also need to consider that it’s at least partly an issue of capability, not just intent. He is just a very average runner by AFL standards.

He doesn’t run, he jogs. Don’t recall ever seeing him chase anyone.

 

[cAsEy_18]

I don’t mind Parish but it might’ve been better for the club to have traded him this year.

To who?

Someone has to want him and he has to agree.

 

[Yoda_]

Mate….he's what 27? It’s not going to change at this point.

Also need to consider that it’s at least partly an issue of capability, not just intent. He is just a very average runner by AFL standards.

Trent Cotchin would have been of similar age when he was celebrated to change his game style

Why cant Parish be the same?

 

[The Donners]

To who?

Someone has to want him and he has to agree.

Someone would want a former AA. We tell a player we want to trade them and I think they’ll have difficulties staying knowing they’re not in the club’s plans.

 

[ghostdog]

He doesn’t run, he jogs. Don’t recall ever seeing him chase anyone.

I've seen him chase. He's slow to position himself defensively when he does, and slow to react when he needs to chase, but it's not like he never does it. He's just ineffective because he's so wired to front run and receive. He is what he is now. I doubt we ever change him.

 

[Vander18]

Trent Cotchin would have been of similar age when he was celebrated to change his game style

Why cant Parish be the same?

1) There is no reason to believe Parish is the sort of character Cotchin was.

2) Even if makes a change mentally, he has neither the speed nor endurance to be anything more than a plodder when it comes to defensive running.

 

[Vindicater]

1) There is no reason to believe Parish is the sort of character Cotchin was.

2) Even if makes a change mentally, he has neither the speed nor endurance to be anything more than a plodder when it comes to defensive running.

1). This could be true. Not many thought Cotchin was that sort of character either.

2). He for sure has the speed and endurance for it.

 

[thebigboy]

He's been here for 9 of our 20 years of mediocrity as an inside midfielder which equates to the centreman or ruckrover.
This was Dodo’s biggest f**k up!

Absolutely not. His draft year, he was a consensus top 2 midfielder and we had a glaring need. In 2021 nobody was calling the selection a f**k up when he was an All-Australian, was BOG for dreamtime & Anzac Day and Top 5 in the Brownlow.

Hindsight is a beautiful thing and the argument that we could have had ''x or y'' instead of someone is just silly.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Mate….he's what 27? It’s not going to change at this point.

AA's don't grow on trees, and he's been pretty hampered by injury for a while. In fact he was killing it in the practice match at the start of 2024 and it was looking like he was gonna have a great year off the back of a good preseason then fell to injury. More to play out here and it isn't as open and shut as you think it is.

 

[FlyingV]

Need the calves to clear up. If he wasn’t running defensively before the soft tissue injuries he’s not going to if his conditioning is impacted by the calf issues imo. Hopefully Hobbs and Tsatas can put some pressure on him this year.

 

[Vander18]

1). This could be true. Not many thought Cotchin was that sort of character either.

2). He for sure has the speed and endurance for it.

Richmond thought he was that sort of character ….they made him Captain of the club at age 23. They clearly saw something in him.

Parish is rising 28 and not sure he’s ever even been in the leadership group? The bloke is what he is.

He’s not a strong runner by AFL midfield standards. Not sure how you could argue that he is…what are you basing this on?

 

[cAsEy_18]

Someone would want a former AA. We tell a player we want to trade them and I think they’ll have difficulties staying knowing they’re not in the club’s plans.

Alright run through it

He’s not agreeing to trade to any of the 8 interstate sides - just had a young kid.

Carlton, Melbourne, North, Bulldogs don’t need an inside mid. Richmond is going in another direction.

Hawthorn you could squint and make an argument for, but the way they play and spending money elsewhere id guess probably not.

Geelong, Collingwood and St Kilda probably the 3 options you could’ve made a case for. But these days such a long contract doesn’t secure you any sort of asset - in fact, it’s seen as a burden to his new team to have to take that on.

 

[FootyGuru]

Trent Cotchin would have been of similar age when he was celebrated to change his game style

Why cant Parish be the same?

Parish avoids physicality. Hates to engage with an oppo and stoppage because it stops his momentum getting the footy himself.

Most his tackles are gang tackles or repeat stoppage tackles and too many the oppo still gets his hands free to handball. People will speak to his improving tackle numbers but he’s is no where near the level that we need him.

I don’t see him as overly team orientated either. Would definitely run harder two ways if that was the case.

Parish is smart though, he knows that possessions = personal accolades. Every time you run defensively thats energy spent not getting the ball. You only have so many petrol tickets in a game.

All stars know this but parish isn’t anywhere near as damaging when he does win it offensively.