Darcy Parish chooses to stay with Essendon after protracted negotiations, rejecting free agency and signing a five-year deal with the Bombers to remain at the club until the end of 2028.
Darcy Parish admits he was somewhat frustrated by limited midfield opportunities in previous seasons but now looks back on that stage as crucial to his development into an elite on-baller.
"Maybe a little bit of frustration, but for my development and growth into the player I am now, all them weeks and them months playing in the forward line and different areas of the ground has helped me become the player I am today," Parish said.
"Looking back on it, I'm very grateful to have played them roles and learn them positions and it's all coming into my games now."
Darcy Parish has signed a new two-year deal to remain with the Bombers until the end of 2023 when he will be a free agent.
Parish has had a breakout 2021 season, averaging 32 disposals this season to place him fourth in the AFL, while he is second in the competition for clearances and first for centre clearances.
Darcy Parish will be out for up to two months after breaking his thumb in the VFL on the weekend.
"We'll be checking with the surgeon after he's had that procedure and getting a better feel for how long it's going to take to get Darcy back on the park," Bombers high performance manager Justin Crow said.
"The silver lining there [is] that we can really work hard on Darcy's running ability through that period."
Devon Smith is involved in a heated exchange with teammate Darcy Parish during an intraclub match, although they were said to be in good spirits afterwards.
"I think it's competitive footy. You're not going hard enough if boys aren't competing for spots," Smith said.
"I've been told to be myself here. You've got to find the line and obviously (there are) all the new rules now with fines and stuff. But you've got to play on the edge.
Darcy Parish plans to take his running capacity to a new level this pre-season in a bid to keep pace with the competition's best midfielders.
"Probably for me it's that repeat effort, aerobic running (that I need to work on most)," Parish told RSN927.
"It really does test me at AFL level, getting from contest to contest, so it was a big focus for me over the break to work on and it will be a big focus for me this pre-season."
Darcy Parish signs a new two-year deal with Essendon that will keep him at the club until the end of 2019.
"I’m really excited about our future and proud to sign on for two more years," Parish said upon re-signing.
"We’ve got a great group of players, with a solid mix of youth and experience, and while we know we have a lot of hard work ahead of us, I really feel like we’re heading in the right direction."
Darcy Parish details a unique way of measuring his training intensity during his first few months at the Bombers.
In his first few days at the club, at the end of 2015 after being that year's No.5 draft pick, Parish clashed heads at training and wore the brunt of the collision. But it didn't dent his attack on the ball, as the midfielder set himself to prove he was worth the early selection Essendon used on him.
"There probably wasn't a week where I didn't have a blood nose in that first bit. I'd be coming off every time putting the cotton buds up my nose to stop the bleeding," Parish said.
"It became a bit of a habit and if I didn't get one then training probably hadn't gone too well. I wanted to get the respect off the boys and one way was to come out and compete and show a lot of effort at training. They definitely notice it."
Darcy Parish is keen to stay at Essendon, but won't be worried if his contract talks continue to drag out as he remains unsigned beyond this season.
"Obviously there's a bit of contract talk going around, but it's not something I'm really focused on. I'm just focused on playing good footy and enjoying my time here at Essendon," Parish said.
"My managers are going through that with the club at the moment, so hopefully we get it done pretty soon because I obviously have no intentions of leaving the club, because it's been great so far and I'm loving every minute of it. Hopefully we get it done soon."
Essendon is confident young stars Joe Daniher and Darcy Parish will sign new contracts once the AFL's industrial dispute is resolved.
David Zaharakis's deal also runs out at this season but Bombers list manager Adrian Dodoro is confident the CBA stoush is all that is stopping the trio from inking new deals.
"Player agents do like to wait, and they like to make sure that they maximise everything, and that's fair enough - they've got to look after themselves and their client," Dodoro said.
"There's a couple of contracts that are on hold at the moment until the CBA comes out, and you have to respect that."
Darcy Parish makes his AFL debut for Essendon with 25 disposals (8 kicks and 17 handballs), 5 marks and 6 tackles in a 61-point loss to Gold Coast.
Thursday, 7 January 2016
Bomber veteran Adam Cooney tips Essendon's top draft pick Darcy Parish to break through at AFL level early in 2016.
"You can usually tell with one or two first-year players when they come in that they're going to make an impact straight away," Cooney said.
"I remember Marcus Bontempelli was one at the Western Bulldogs a few years ago. As soon as he walked in the door, you knew that he was just going to make an impact straight away and it was a bit like that with Darcy Parish.
"He's a little bit skinnier and a little bit smaller but when he has the footy in his hands he really uses it well and I think we'll see him pretty early on in the season."
Essendon's top draft pick Darcy Parish says stepping up to life at the elite level has been "intense", but he couldn't have wished for two better mentors than Jobe Watson and Dyson Heppell.
“There is some stars here and some great leaders as well so I’m learning heaps along the way," Parish said.
“Heppell, Jobe – they stand out pretty well.
"They’re absolute stars as well so they’ve just been teaching me about stoppages and how to train and go about my business, so it’s awesome to get their knowledge.”
Essendon draftee Darcy Parish will wear the No.3 jumper, made famous in the red and black by the greatest Bomber in history, three-time Brownlow medallist and four-time premiership player Dick Reynolds.
Essendon select Darcy Parish with pick No.5 in the 2015 NAB AFL Draft.
"He's an incredible talent. He wins the footy and spreads really hard outside. He plays defence as well, which I really like. He's smart around the goals, courageous and tough," AFL Academy coach Brenton Sanderson said.