- Wil Parker to make AFL debut this weekend
- Parker was previously a Big Bash League star
- It changed code just three months ago.
Collingwood will hand Wil Parker his AFL debut just three months after he decided to put his cricket career aside and switch codes.
Parker emerged from the clouds to make his debut alongside fellow second-year player Ed Allan against Fremantle on Friday night amid a series of injuries, including fresh concern for Jordan De Goey.
The 21-year-old rebounding defender was recruited as a Grade B rookie by the Magpies in February after putting aside his cricket aspirations after more than two years on the sidelines of the Victorian side.
Parker, a leg-spinner, made his Sheffield Shield debut as a 17-year-old in February 2020, but was pipped by Todd Murphy in the state pecking order.
He played in the BBL for the Hobart Hurricanes in January last year.
Wil Parker has been selected to play for Collingwood in the AFL this weekend
Allan will make his debut in his home state as coach Craig McRae again praised him as the “fittest player” on the Collingwood roster.
McRae has revealed Jordan De Goey’s late heroics against Adelaide were done under pressure, with the Magpies star ruled out for at least one game with a “new” injury.
De Goey suffered an abdominal strain during the third quarter against the Crows and sat out in pain despite playing in the game.
De Goey only briefly during training at the Olympic Park on Tuesday, but quickly came on after testing the issue, which McRae said was unrelated to the groin issue that troubled him earlier this month.
“Jordy won’t be playing, he’s got a recent injury and an abdominal strain. He got that in the game, played it and then stopped in pretty sore… they’re doing scans to see what that means,” McRae said.
“Actually, this is a separate injury, the other one has calmed down and this one has expressed itself as an abdominal strain; it has nothing to do with (the groin problem).
“We actually worked through that process to evaluate whether it was not OP (osteitis pubis) or the beginning of that.”
De Goey had returned to his old role as forward against the Crows amid an ongoing injury crisis at the Magpies, but McRae said he would be softened by the return of Brody Mihocek (hamstring) and Beau McCreery (concussion) to face Fremantle in Perth on Friday night.
“It’s been kind of a revolving door, and after the game I said (forwards coach) Scott Selwood and the group had done an unbelievable job,” McRae said.
“It just hasn’t been the same for three or four weeks, and we’re managing to find ways to keep scoring.”
‘Last week we took out 12 from an attack line that at times had no keys. “We will find a way, (it is) not ideal.”
McRae said the Magpies were weighing up recalling key forward Nathan Kreuger along with potential debutants as they factored in the cost of a second successive six-day layoff for their senior players.
Parker switched codes from cricket to football three months ago
He again suggested that matches should be shortened to alleviate some of the physical burden, linking the increasing pace of the game to more than 150 players currently injured across the 18 clubs.
“Our game is giving us feedback… 150-odd injuries is a lot of feedback, it’s more than we’ve seen in our time,” McRae said.
‘When there is a problem, I look for solutions. Maybe that could be a solution? I’m not here to change the game and maybe others can decide that.
‘The GPS warns us (the game is getting faster). Running at high speed is real, and that has a cost, and then playing six days (rest)… that has a cost.
“This is not a Collingwood issue, I just want to make it very clear… this is a club-wide issue that we are all dealing with.”
