Darcy Parish was always going to be highly sought after in light of his All Australian selection as a bottom ager in 2014, an achievement matched that year by his Geelong Falcons teammate Rhys Mathieson.

The two are midfielders but they're different types and I have watched them from afar this year knowing at the back of my mind that it remained an imperative for Melbourne to continue to improve its stocks of onballers. Parish is the outside silky smooth ball winner with quick hands who also goes well on the inside; the other gets the hard ball inside the stoppages. Would one of them be claimed by the Demons?

Parish's 2015 campaign stalled early when he broke a thumb. However, before that he was in fine form in two AIS Academy games against Northern Bullants and Werribee:-

https://vimeo.com/127122213

https://vimeo.com/125095504

The injury caused him to miss the first two rounds of this year's Under 18's carnival but he came back from a seven week break to play for the Geelong Falcons in late May and gathered 25 disposals in his team's 10 goal win over the Western Jets. A week later he was repeating the dose for Victoria Country against Vic Metro in a game which was streamed live on the AFL site.

Watch the replays of each quarter.

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-06-07/under-18s-vicc-v-vicm-q1

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-06-07/under-18s-vicc-v-vicm-q2

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-06-07/under-18s-vicc-v-vicm-q3

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-06-07/under-18s-vicc-v-vicm-q4

Parish again recorded 25 possessions and with partner in crime Mathieson, dominated proceedings.

Parish followed up this performance a week or so later against South Australia when he starred again with 24 disposals including seven inside-50 entries. He once again demonstrated quick hands and sure and precise execution. By foot, he regularly hit his targets.

However, he was a bit of a disappointment in his next game, the televised return game v SA at Simonds Stadium where he was reduced to a mere nine touches. However, in that match, he was played off a half back flank and despite taking a few hits, he still showed the assuredness and poise that is part and parcel of his game even if he was subdued and played out of position.

To prove that he's something special, he came back with a vengeance in the last game against Western Australia in a game where he was the dominant midfielder on the ground picking up 29 disposals. That display ensured his repeat selection in the All Australian team, a feat shared with Mathieson.

The two midfielders continued to dominate their part of the ground at the Geelong Falcons and when Charlie Curnow rejoined them after his stint out with injury, there were high hopes that their team would feature in a classic TAC Cup finale against the well performed North Ballarat Rebels team with Jacob Hopper and Darcy Tucker. That was not to be however, with the Falcons going out in straight sets and the Rebels losing their preliminary final.

If we are to develop a top line midfield, we could do a lot worse than draft this pair with picks 3 and 7 respectively. There are some however, who believe the club is interested in Curnow and that he could end up as one of the modern prototype tall midfielders.

To me however, Parish is the stand out for pick three and I would not be unhappy if the club's recruiters took Mathieson with their second pick at seven (or whatever number it turns out to be after taking into account the bidding selections).

There are too many imponderables to come out with a definitive second pick for Melbourne in this draft but I would be most surprised if Parish's name wasn't called out in three weeks time. His selection would give the club the best three midfielders available to the club from the last two drafts and set it up better in this area than at any time since the introduction of the draft system.

The only other contender would be Curnow but on my viewing, the latter isn't even in the same parish. But Inside Football's Brett Anderson believes otherwise so in the interests of providing a semblance of balance, this is worth viewing.

https://vimeo.com/136785936/description

Here are the SEN Inside Football profiles of Parish, Mathieson and Curnow which are essentially quotes from their TAC Cup coach:-

  Quote

Darcy Parish Geelong Falcons DOB: 25/7/97 Ht: 180cm Wt: 74kg

"Darcy is our best player. Last year as a bottom-ager he played off half back and learned to play as a defender and this year went into the midfield and forward at times. He wins the contested ball but is probably more damaging on the outside. The talk about him is going top five and I think that's where he's at. For his size he is super competitive and a ripper to coach. You can really challenge him and teach him about the game and he takes everything on board. Wherever he goes, they will have a lot of fun working with him" - Geelong Falcons coach Andy Althorpe"

  Quote

Rhys Mathieson Geelong Falcons DOB: 10/1/97 Ht: 186cm Wt: 82kg

"Rhys is an inside midfielder and I think he has a lot of improvement in his game. Really good at winning the footy inside the contest, is a great competitor who plays to win but I feel there are so many more elements that can become part of his game. Can go forward and kick goals but when he develops his bigger picture of the game he'll become a better player. I can see his game improving markedly when he gets to an AFL club" - Geelong Falcons coach Andy Althorpe"

  Quote

Charlie Curnow Geelong Falcons DOB: 3/2/97 Ht: 191cm Wt: 95kg

"Charlie is the brother of Ed and he got injure in the middle of the year. Our plan was to develop him into a midfielder to test him out there where he could use his athleticism. He has great ability to mark the ball at its highest point, his vision improved and he is still untapped in football potential" - Geelong Falcons coach Andy Althorpe"

Unlike club recruiters, I'm not paid to follow up on a myriad of players from junior footy to Under 16s and 18s. I haven't spoken to their families, junior coaches, schoolteachers or seen them dozens of times live in games and on the training track or had the opportunity to interview the players themselves.

And I must confess that not long ago I was over the moon that Melbourne had just drafted Jimmy Toumpas who was in my view "stolen" at pick four. Before him it was Tom Scully and a year earlier, Jack Watts was the next big thing. You can go back to Colin Sylvia and Brock McLean and even Travis Johnstone. They were all talented and all were going to be champions but one way or another, in that respect, they turned out to be failed early draft picks who were either wrong choices or not properly developed as footballers by the club.

Those currently charged with the job of list management and recruiting seem to be doing something better in recent times so perhaps this time the club will get it right and develop an emerging midfield good enough to keep our forwards well fed and thereby to usher in a new era for the club.

  On 05/11/2015 at 06:21, Demonland said:

Darcy Parish was always going to be highly sought after in light of his All Australian selection as a bottom ager in 2014, an achievement matched that year by his Geelong Falcons teammate Rhys Mathieson.

The two are midfielders but they're different types and I have watched them from afar this year knowing at the back of my mind that it remained an imperative for Melbourne to continue to improve its stocks of onballers. Parish is the outside silky smooth ball winner with quick hands who also goes well on the inside; the other gets the hard ball inside the stoppages. Would one of them be claimed by the Demons?

Parish's 2015 campaign stalled early when he broke a thumb. However, before that he was in fine form in two AIS Academy games against Northern Bullants and Werribee:-

https://vimeo.com/127122213

https://vimeo.com/125095504

The injury caused him to miss the first two rounds of this year's Under 18's carnival but he came back from a seven week break to play for the Geelong Falcons in late May and gathered 25 disposals in his team's 10 goal win over the Western Jets. A week later he was repeating the dose for Victoria Country against Vic Metro in a game which was streamed live on the AFL site.

Watch the replays of each quarter.

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-06-07/under-18s-vicc-v-vicm-q1

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-06-07/under-18s-vicc-v-vicm-q2

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-06-07/under-18s-vicc-v-vicm-q3

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-06-07/under-18s-vicc-v-vicm-q4

Parish again recorded 25 possessions and with partner in crime Mathieson, dominated proceedings.

Parish followed up this performance a week or so later against South Australia when he starred again with 24 disposals including seven inside-50 entries. He once again demonstrated quick hands and sure and precise execution. By foot, he regularly hit his targets.

However, he was a bit of a disappointment in his next game, the televised return game v SA at Simonds Stadium where he was reduced to a mere nine touches. However, in that match, he was played off a half back flank and despite taking a few hits, he still showed the assuredness and poise that is part and parcel of his game even if he was subdued and played out of position.

To prove that he's something special, he came back with a vengeance in the last game against Western Australia in a game where he was the dominant midfielder on the ground picking up 29 disposals. That display ensured his repeat selection in the All Australian team, a feat shared with Mathieson.

The two midfielders continued to dominate their part of the ground at the Geelong Falcons and when Charlie Curnow rejoined them after his stint out with injury, there were high hopes that their team would feature in a classic TAC Cup finale against the well performed North Ballarat Rebels team with Jacob Hopper and Darcy Tucker. That was not to be however, with the Falcons going out in straight sets and the Rebels losing their preliminary final.

If we are to develop a top line midfield, we could do a lot worse than draft this pair with picks 3 and 7 respectively. There are some however, who believe the club is interested in Curnow and that he could end up as one of the modern prototype tall midfielders.

To me however, Parish is the stand out for pick three and I would not be unhappy if the club's recruiters took Mathieson with their second pick at seven (or whatever number it turns out to be after taking into account the bidding selections).

There are too many imponderables to come out with a definitive second pick for Melbourne in this draft but I would be most surprised if Parish's name wasn't called out in three weeks time. His selection would give the club the best three midfielders available to the club from the last two drafts and set it up better in this area than at any time since the introduction of the draft system.

The only other contender would be Curnow but on my viewing, the latter isn't even in the same parish. But Inside Football's Brett Anderson believes otherwise so in the interests of providing a semblance of balance, this is worth viewing.

https://vimeo.com/136785936/description

Here are the SEN Inside Football profiles of Parish, Mathieson and Curnow which are essentially quotes from their TAC Cup coach:-

Come on WJ! Francis is better than Parish and furthermore he is bigger and much more versatile. We have a platoon of small mids. Francis may play back or even forward for a while, but he will end up a dominant strong, high marking midfielder. With the exception of Vince, we don't have anybody in that category do we? Vince has a couple more years left in him. And how many mids do we have who can slot a goal from 50m?

Unlike club recruiters, I'm not paid to follow up on a myriad of players from junior footy to Under 16s and 18s. I haven't spoken to their families, junior coaches, schoolteachers or seen them dozens of times live in games and on the training track or had the opportunity to interview the players themselves.

And I must confess that not long ago I was over the moon that Melbourne had just drafted Jimmy Toumpas who was in my view "stolen" at pick four. Before him it was Tom Scully and a year earlier, Jack Watts was the next big thing. You can go back to Colin Sylvia and Brock McLean and even Travis Johnstone. They were all talented and all were going to be champions but one way or another, in that respect, they turned out to be failed early draft picks who were either wrong choices or not properly developed as footballers by the club.

Those currently charged with the job of list management and recruiting seem to be doing something better in recent times so perhaps this time the club will get it right and develop an emerging midfield good enough to keep our forwards well fed and thereby to usher in a new era for the club.

  On 05/11/2015 at 06:21, Demonland said:

Darcy Parish was always going to be highly sought after in light of his All Australian selection as a bottom ager in 2014, an achievement matched that year by his Geelong Falcons teammate Rhys Mathieson.

The two are midfielders but they're different types and I have watched them from afar this year knowing at the back of my mind that it remained an imperative for Melbourne to continue to improve its stocks of onballers. Parish is the outside silky smooth ball winner with quick hands who also goes well on the inside; the other gets the hard ball inside the stoppages. Would one of them be claimed by the Demons?

Parish's 2015 campaign stalled early when he broke a thumb. However, before that he was in fine form in two AIS Academy games against Northern Bullants and Werribee:-

https://vimeo.com/127122213

https://vimeo.com/125095504

The injury caused him to miss the first two rounds of this year's Under 18's carnival but he came back from a seven week break to play for the Geelong Falcons in late May and gathered 25 disposals in his team's 10 goal win over the Western Jets. A week later he was repeating the dose for Victoria Country against Vic Metro in a game which was streamed live on the AFL site.

Watch the replays of each quarter.

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-06-07/under-18s-vicc-v-vicm-q1

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-06-07/under-18s-vicc-v-vicm-q2

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-06-07/under-18s-vicc-v-vicm-q3

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-06-07/under-18s-vicc-v-vicm-q4

Parish again recorded 25 possessions and with partner in crime Mathieson, dominated proceedings.

Parish followed up this performance a week or so later against South Australia when he starred again with 24 disposals including seven inside-50 entries. He once again demonstrated quick hands and sure and precise execution. By foot, he regularly hit his targets.

However, he was a bit of a disappointment in his next game, the televised return game v SA at Simonds Stadium where he was reduced to a mere nine touches. However, in that match, he was played off a half back flank and despite taking a few hits, he still showed the assuredness and poise that is part and parcel of his game even if he was subdued and played out of position.

To prove that he's something special, he came back with a vengeance in the last game against Western Australia in a game where he was the dominant midfielder on the ground picking up 29 disposals. That display ensured his repeat selection in the All Australian team, a feat shared with Mathieson.

The two midfielders continued to dominate their part of the ground at the Geelong Falcons and when Charlie Curnow rejoined them after his stint out with injury, there were high hopes that their team would feature in a classic TAC Cup finale against the well performed North Ballarat Rebels team with Jacob Hopper and Darcy Tucker. That was not to be however, with the Falcons going out in straight sets and the Rebels losing their preliminary final.

If we are to develop a top line midfield, we could do a lot worse than draft this pair with picks 3 and 7 respectively. There are some however, who believe the club is interested in Curnow and that he could end up as one of the modern prototype tall midfielders.

To me however, Parish is the stand out for pick three and I would not be unhappy if the club's recruiters took Mathieson with their second pick at seven (or whatever number it turns out to be after taking into account the bidding selections).

There are too many imponderables to come out with a definitive second pick for Melbourne in this draft but I would be most surprised if Parish's name wasn't called out in three weeks time. His selection would give the club the best three midfielders available to the club from the last two drafts and set it up better in this area than at any time since the introduction of the draft system.

The only other contender would be Curnow but on my viewing, the latter isn't even in the same parish. But Inside Football's Brett Anderson believes otherwise so in the interests of providing a semblance of balance, this is worth viewing.

https://vimeo.com/136785936/description

Here are the SEN Inside Football profiles of Parish, Mathieson and Curnow which are essentially quotes from their TAC Cup coach:-

Unlike club recruiters, I'm not paid to follow up on a myriad of players from junior footy to Under 16s and 18s. I haven't spoken to their families, junior coaches, schoolteachers or seen them dozens of times live in games and on the training track or had the opportunity to interview the players themselves.

And I must confess that not long ago I was over the moon that Melbourne had just drafted Jimmy Toumpas who was in my view "stolen" at pick four. Before him it was Tom Scully and a year earlier, Jack Watts was the next big thing. You can go back to Colin Sylvia and Brock McLean and even Travis Johnstone. They were all talented and all were going to be champions but one way or another, in that respect, they turned out to be failed early draft picks who were either wrong choices or not properly developed as footballers by the club.

Those currently charged with the job of list management and recruiting seem to be doing something better in recent times so perhaps this time the club will get it right and develop an emerging midfield good enough to keep our forwards well fed and thereby to usher in a new era for the club.

Come on WJ! Francis is better than Parish.he is also much bigger and more versatile. Whilst he may play back or forward initially, he will end up a dominant midfielder. He marks better than almost all midfielders in the competition.

We have a platoon of small mids but with the exception of Vince, who only has another year or two in him, we have no-one who offers what Francis does. He also kicks goals from 50m. How many mids do we have who do that?

No more little kids for the time being!

  On 06/11/2015 at 12:06, Farmer said:

Come on WJ! Francis is better than Parish.he is also much bigger and more versatile. Whilst he may play back or forward initially, he will end up a dominant midfielder. He marks better than almost all midfielders in the competition.

We have a platoon of small mids but with the exception of Vince, who only has another year or two in him, we have no-one who offers what Francis does. He also kicks goals from 50m. How many mids do we have who do that?

No more little kids for the time being!

Spot on.

We don't need the next Joel Selwood.