Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne believes it will be difficult for Darcy Parish to break back into Essendon’s best side, going in depth to the former star’s downfall in 2024.
Parish’s season has been heavily interrupted by multiple soft tissue injuries and the 26-year-old is currently sidelined with a calf issue.
He hasn’t played since Round 9 and is expected back in three weeks. But the question of whether he will be back in Brad Scott’s side was raised by Kane Cornes on Nine’s Footy Classified.
“It’s been a problem they’d be happy to have… I’m just not sure Darcy Parish gets back in,” Cornes said on Monday night.
“I think a hard call is looming… there’s no way you are leaving any of (Zach Merrett, Sam Durham, Jake Stringer, Jye Caldwell and Archie Perkins) out of that centre bounce group for Darcy Parish.”
Parish was an All-Australian in 2021 but his clearance numbers have dropped off year-on-year since.
Since debuting in 2016, his 2024 score involvement numbers are the second lowest he’s recorded across any season.
The 2015 No.5 draftee has played seven games in 2024 and Hoyne is eager to see if Parish will play more.
“Purely based on 2024 form… I think Kane has got a point,” Hoyne told SEN’s Sportsday.
“He’s not the player that we’ve seen Darcy be in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
“At his best, 2021… he was a top-15 player in the competition. We constantly talk about impact and not just volume and that’s why he was able to turn his game around in 2021, to be a damaging, impactful midfielder… and average 7-8 score involvements a game, the top end of all midfielders.
“Whereas this year it’s around 24 disposals, he’s not winning contest, he’s not winning clearance, then his scoreboard return is well down as well.
“Whether or not Parish can get back to the form of those three years will be interesting to see.”
Cornes added: “Largely my point was around the mix that they’ve discovered as well, with Durham and Caldwell in particular, but also Perkins and Stringer… and then what Zach Merrett has done.
“So it’s about the mix as well as what Darcy Parish hasn’t done. He doesn’t look quite well enough conditioned, he’s not running with any sort of speed… he’s now just an accumulator who is not damaging.
“I hadn’t looked at any stats, the eye would tell me that you’re pretty happy with how young the Essendon midfield mix is looking.”
An Essendon statement on Tuesday night regarding Parish’s return from injury said: “Darcy Parish is making steady progress in his recovery from a calf injury and will continue to increase his training loads this week…”
He’s averaging 24.1 disposals, 3.7 clearances and 3.6 inside 50s through 2024.
The Bombers sit third on the ladder with a 9-4-1 record ahead of Saturday night’s clash with seventh-placed Geelong at the MCG.