Pundits have reflected on the controversial decision by the VFL to suspend Luke Parker for six weeks, with doubts over his future at long-time club Sydney now being cast.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle, Herald Sun journalists Jon Ralph, Glenn McFarlane and Jay Clark broke down Parker’s new state of play – beginning with his sentence.
“It’s taken my breath away – I think all of us thought ‘four plus weeks, that’s fine’,” Ralph begun by saying.
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“But then you hear six weeks, and of course we’re going to make the comparison with Jimmy Webster, who jumped off the ground to hit Jy Simpkin – it was a much more deliberate act, of course there was a concussion there, and that was seven weeks; so how often do we actually set the frame of reference there?”
The blow comes at the worst possible time for Parker, who had been building a significant case to play in the top side after being snubbed coming back from a broken arm injury.
He has averaged 30 disposals and just under seven tackles a game in the month since his return, and is widely considered as very unlucky to have not been in Sydney’s AFL side before his suspension.
“He’s back about Round 18, he’s already been out of this side for about a month – he was fit, make no mistake about that and they did not play him; what does that mean now for his capacity to get into this side?” Ralph asked the panel.
“At the back end, his season is almost over – unless they have some injuries, which they could have too,” McFarlane replied.
“The VFL tribunal wanted six weeks, the Swans were arguing four; they thought that was probably along those lines – they tried to argue that Luke Parker had only had one issue (suspension) in a 14-year career.
“It’s a serious, serious injury – let me read these Clarky: knocked unconscious, suffered concussion, multiple fractures to the eye socket – get this – surgery when he’s able to have surgery.
“I think it’s fair, I think that’s what needed to happen – it needed to be a six-week suspension.”
Jay Clark and Ralph then speculated over the former club captain’s future at the Swans, with interest in Parker no doubt circling with time.
“It’s unclear whether he plays again at Sydney again – I’m just a bit surprised that the good bloke factor didn’t come in (to consideration),” Clark said.
“Luke Parker, who we respect as much as anyone in the competition – yes it was a heavy hit, but if Charlie Cameron gets a one-match discount for his bump earlier in the year, I thought Luke Parker’s would be downgraded a little bit.”
Ralph responded with what he believes could come of Parker’s initial snubbing and now-prolonged absence from both AFL and VFL football.
“I can’t see any chance of him that he would play at North Melbourne, but I could absolutely see him playing somewhere else next year,” Ralph emphasised.
“He’s got one more year on a four-year deal at about $700,000 a year; I just think there’ll be so many clubs that would line up for him … does he play on one more year (at Sydney), and that’s his career basically done – or does he go to a club like St Kilda, or Adelaide, or Collingwood; one of those clubs that feel like they could be in the premiership race next year.
“It’s almost that Jordan Lewis type deal – you get two years in a (contract) clause.
“You get him into a good side, and he could win you a Grand Final – even if he doesn’t win a flag with Sydney this season.”
Parker will next be eligible for AFL selection against North Melbourne on July 13, or alternatively, the VFL that same weekend against the Kangaroos.
Source Agencies
