When people talk about the 2010 AFL Draft, names like David Swallow, Harley Bennell, Josh Caddy, Dyson Heppell and Andrew Gaff get mentioned. People say, ‘Jack Darling, why didn’t we pick him up before the Eagles did?’
Similarly, when people talk about Sydney, you’re most likely to hear the name Lance Franklin, and then Adam Goodes, Kurt Tippett or Jarrad McVeigh.
But you hardly ever hear anyone talk about Luke Parker.
At 21, Parker’s played 65 games and was a member of the Swans 2012 premiership-winning team.
He’s one that has flown under the radar since draft day. Taken at pick 40, he played 13 games in his debut year, mostly as a defensive forward. He played 19 games in 2012 and 25 games last year. This year he’s played every game so far, and has spilt his time between the midfield and the forward line.
I must confess that I wouldn’t have taken much notice of him had I not picked him in my AFL fantasy team, but this year his stats are hard to ignore.
He’s equal 31st in the competition for disposals, with 192 at an average of 24. He’s an efficient disposer of the ball, operating at 68.2 per cent, he’s kicked 10 goals, hardly ever gives away a free kick and averages almost five marks a game.
However, it’s his tackles that are most impressive. He has racked up 45 this year, at an average of 5.6 per game. This is even more impressive when you compare it to renowned tacklers like Scott Selwood (43 at 5.4), Clinton Jones (42 at 5.2), Matthew Boyd (41 at 5.1) and Kane Cornes (37 at 4.6). Pretty impressive stats for a 21-year-old.
To find highlights of him on YouTube, one must add ‘AFL’ after his name to get anything, and even then there’s all of six videos to watch. Searching Dyson Heppell nets pages of videos, from highlights to kids talking about how excited they are to have his football card.
One of Parker’s most impressive games came against Carlton in the 2013 semi final at ANZ Stadium, where he gathered 22 disposals, six marks, two tackles and three goals. One of his goals was a right foot snap from the boundary line after dancing around a nimble Chris Yarran.
Parker is on track to have his most prolific season so far, and has become an important cog in Sydney’s team with his forward pressure, ability to pinch-hit in the midfield and shut an opposition player down.
Being a young player, he still has areas to improve on. Being ranked sixth in the competition for clangers, ahead of high profile Sydney recruit Lance Franklin, isn’t something he would be overly proud of.
In an interview for the Sydney Swans’ YouTube channel, Parker said that his favourite player was Luke Hodge when he was growing up. His high pressure, versatile, skilful game is not dissimilar to the Hawthorn captain’s own style of play.
If Luke Parker continues going the way he’s going, the Swans have got an absolute bargain.
Maybe one day, when people talk about the talent-laden draft of 2010, supporters, coaches, writers and recruiting staff alike will say ‘damn, why didn’t we pick Luke Parker while we had the chance?’
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