Darcy Parish

AFL career Parish was recruited by the Essendon Football Club with the fifth overall selection in the 2015 national draft. He was rewarded with a nomination for the 2016 AFL Rising Star after he collected 21 disposals, 13 handball receives, eight tackles, and five inside-50s whilst kicking his first goal in the dying stages to seal a 13-point win against . He played 20 games in his debut season, polling 19 votes to finish fourth in the Ron Evans Medal.

He was played mainly on the wing and as a forward over his first 5 years in the competition. Following a spate of injuries early in 2021 to Essendon midfielders, Parish was moved into the centre square. Parish's form suddenly skyrocketed as he became one of the most dominant midfielders in the league, winning best-on-ground medals in the ANZAC Day match, Dreamtime at the 'G, and the Country Game, the latter two being all the more impressive due to being earned in large defeats. He broke Essendon's all-time disposal record against Richmond, was named in the All-Australian team, and finished 5th in the Brownlow Medal, recording 26 votes after only polling in 1 of his 93 games prior.

Parish struggled to maintain that form over the next couple of seasons, as he was hampered by injuries, however he still polled 15 votes in the 2023 Brownlow Medal count. At the end of the 2023 season, he signed a 5-year extension with Essendon, to keep him at the club until the end of the 2028 season. 2024 was another injury interrupted season for Parish, only managing 12 games for the season.

Statistics Updated to the end of round 22, 2026.

179 !! 57 !! 63 !! 2035 !! 2347 !! 4382 !! 628 !! 627 !! 0.3 !! 0.4 !! 11.4 !! 13.1 !! 24.5 !! 3.5 !! 3.5 !! 50