Luke Parker arrived in Sydney after last November’s draft with a mature body for his age - earning him a few nicknames, such as ‘man-child’ and ‘the terminator’.
But he has stacked on even more muscle during a tough pre-season and believes he is ready for his senior debut. ‘’ I think I’ve put on a few kilograms since I got here. I was about 81 kilograms and now I’m 85 or 86. So hopefully I’ve got the body to be able to handle the physical side of AFL,’ ’ Parker told www.sydneyswans.com.au
Parker, 18, will play his first game for the Swans tomorrow night, pulling on the number 26 jumper to run out against GWS Giants and the Gold Coast Suns in the pre-season cup.
“I’m really excited, I can’t wait to get out there and have a run with the boys - my first time putting on a Sydney Swans jumper,’’ Luke said.
He got a taste of what it might be like last Friday, when he manned up on Josh Kennedy and Jude Bolton in the Club’s first intra-club match. Coach John Longmire said he was impressed with how Parker performed against more seasoned midfielders.
Parker was grateful for the learning experience.
“It was just to see how I manned up against guys who have a lot of experience at AFL standard, so seeing how they move and the areas they run to and how hard they work. It was a good experience to play on them,’’ he said.
So how did he think he fared?
“Not too bad in parts. Sometimes you go well with them and then other times they get the better of you but it was a fantastic experience trying to learn from them. I learnt how hard they work and how much voice they use and how much they lead out on the field.’’
Parker arrived at the Club last November, after being taken at pick number 40 in the national draft. He’s regarded as a tenacious competitor who will develop under the tutelage of tough in-and-under midfielders such as Kieren Jack, Jude Bolton and Josh Kennedy.
“Kieren is my mentor and he’s a really good bloke to follow and look up to, he is always there to answer question,’’ Luke said.
“I want to be a midfielder who can play inside and outside, and probably go up forward but just at the moment they are trying to get me to play as an inside midfielder.’’
Parker has worked hard during the pre-season, and has felt the pain. So what’s the toughest thing about the pre-season?
“Just the step up in training load. You had tough pre-seasons before but this one has gone to another level and your body hurts every day until the weekend when you get a bit of a rest and then you come to Monday and by the end of Monday it is sore again, so it’s just the workload.
“But challenging yourself and getting through sessions is good. It is tough, but once you get through a session you feel good that you were able to achieve that, so I’ve enjoyed that and I’ve got satisfaction from improving. I improved my 3km time by about 20 seconds from pre-Christmas to the last one we did a couple of weeks ago.
“ I’m loving living in Sydney, I live with Jarred Moore and Nathan Gordon so it is a good little household and a lot of fun.’’
