Something as simple as an admiration for one player could turn into a full blown love of the game.
Growing up in a household where my sisters paid as much attention to sport as they did their hair, it was hard not to keep an eye on the league.
While I followed it and could name a few players, I never really got into it, because I didn’t have a proper team to follow due to split support in my family.
To date, the other members in my family support the Rabbitohs, Storm, and Bulldogs. Couple that with the fact that I was the nerdy bookworm of the family, and you have yourself, at best, a passing interest.
Despite the conflicting club loyalties, my family were diehard Queensland Maroon supporters, so I followed suit and began supporting the Maroons. In 2011 however, everything for me changed.
I was watching the Origin with my family when a certain player caught my eye. He was a very big bloke, so I guessed he was a forward. I gathered from his jersey number that he was an interchange. By looking closely at it, I saw his surname emblazoned on the back: Parker.
“Who’s Parker?” I asked innocently.
“Corey Parker from the Broncos,” my brother replied.
Damn, I thought to myself, this bloke is fiiiiiiine. One Google search later and I was hooked. I now had a reason to watch the NRL.
In the weeks that followed, every time the Brisbane Broncos played, I would take the time out to watch the game and keep an eye on the mysterious, handsome Corey Parker and the men he played with.
Fast forward a few months, and a simple crush on Corey Parker had blown up into a full-on dedication to Brisbane and all their players. I felt as comfortable having a conversation regarding Parker’s looks as I did about his unmatched offloads, hard-hitting tackles, unwavering loyalty to the Broncos, or the fact that he is the Broncos’ most consistent player in recent years.
From knowing next to nothing about NRL to having in-depth, half-hour conversations with my mates about the mechanics of rugby league in Australia. I spend most of my spare time watching the Broncos’ illustrious history or reading about it in books or biographies (because God knows I have a lot of catching up to do).
Today you would be hard stretched to find a more loyal, vocal and diehard Broncos fan in New South Wales. Outside of my club, I follow all the NRL action during the week – player Tweets, breaking news, Channel Nine’s Footy Show, you name it.
Putting it bluntly, I live and breathe rugby league.
And it all started with a teenage crush on one man.
dallas
Guest
The barry - SC and fantasy are a good measure of players work rate especially forwards. But each NRL club has had there own Assistant coaches keeping stats for years. So i think parkers work may have went unnoticed to fans and spectators but certainly not coaches and selectors. I also think parker has got better with age. As he has got older he has become more leaner and fitter which has allowed him to play alot of minutes and get through the work he does. He was a bit chubby in his first few years. But anyway corey parker deserves every wrap he gets, he is a champion player.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
I think most fantasy NRL users agree that Corey is king. Thank god I gave that crap up.
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
Yeah, I've heard that. A few times.
Squidward
Roar Rookie
Hate to break to you, but I've seen this guy out on a few nights on broncos road trips. And he's not the best bloke you'll ever meet.
The Barry
Roar Guru
"Damn, I thought to myself, this bloke is fiiiiiiine." These articles objectifying men are offensive...just kidding. Nice article and nice to hear a supporters story from a very different perspective to my own. He's a very good player. I have a (half baked) theory that SuperCoach and fantasy NRL games were the making of Corey Parker. He was around a long time before SC came in. Had made the Qld team early on and then not had a start for a long time. I reckon a lot of the work he did went unnoticed until the sheer volume was made evident statistically via SC. Since then he's been a regular in the Qld team and made the Australian team.
Emcie
Roar Guru
He still holds a lot of the sporting records at his high school too, in case he needs some extra wraps
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
Criminally underrated player - even in spite of being a regular feature in the Kangaroos. Arguably the best middle forward in the league (R!), there are his stats, but the thing that really sets him apart is that the teams he plays in usually win. Plus, he makes few errors, rarely concedes penalties and is a cool-headed player who isn’t usually prone to being baited. And he’s good in big games, having this ability to make key plays and key moments…something NSW fans are all too familiar with. Cronk’s field goal a few years back was mostly because of Parker. What makes this so interesting though, is the fact that he apparently seems to have a bit of the Kevin Rudd phenomenon about him, in that those who like him don’t actually know him. Several independent sources have all said similar things: while he deserves his on-field wraps, he doesn’t seem to be the most popular bloke socially. Much of which stems from the fact that he appears to rate the backside off himself, as well as a couple of other things. Very astute at cultivating an image (something that may be reflected in this article, not that it’s a criticism of the author or anything) and is very popular with female fans (I can attest to this first hand, hearing these sentiments almost every Friday night…)
Margaret M
Guest
Corey Parker is a very good Rugby League player Up there with many others from the Bronco's & other Rugby League Clubs before the N R L name .The Rugby League Games played in & around Brisbane were always great to watch ,still are, my take as good as many Rugby League games played in & near Sydney & may be still are . Lets keep the Rugby League Game up & out there,if not careful this game of Rugby League - N R L may lose out to other codes of ball sports Get This game back on track