In front of more than 36,000 fans on a cold Sydney night, the Swans took control of the match early and led at every change to post a 22-point victory over the Bombers and maintain top spot on the AFL table.
Parker, who was back to his brilliant best with a career-high 35 possessions, of which 18 were contested, and laid five tackles, said the Swans midfield in particular was determined to make amends for last week’s performance.
“I think it’s good to bounce back from last week,” Parker told SwansTV after the match.
“We were pretty disappointed with how we went (last week), but tonight it was the start where we set the tone and we were able to go from there.
“I think last week our midfield got spanked, so this week it was about getting back to our two-way running.”
Parker said the Swans’ pressure football improved dramatically from last week’s performance, as well as the team’s overall defensive efforts.
“We knew it was going to start with our pressure, our corridor football, and I think that was an area that we were down on last week,” he said.
“It was great to get the work rate back up and for the boys to stick the tackles and to be able to slow it down a bit in the end and just create a few more stoppages.”
Fellow midfielder Craig Bird, who also returned to form with 26 possessions and five tackles, said the Swans’ strong start was the catalyst for Friday night’s win.
“I thought we really set the tone early tonight and it was just good to get the win,” he said.
“We knew (Essendon) were going to come, so it was good to hold on and I thought the defenders really stood up tonight.
“We started really well but we probably just ran out of legs a little bit in the second half and we do have a few things to improve on, but it was good to grind out the win.”
Bird added that it was the overall contribution from the team, which saw nine players notch up 20 possessions or more, that made all the difference on Friday night.
“We probably didn’t have enough contributors last week, so I thought it was a more even contribution across the board,” he said.
“The midfield needed to stand up because we got beaten last week, so it was good tonight.
“Parkesy stood up and a few other contributors did as well, so it was a good performance overall.”
The Swans will now enjoy an eight-day break ahead of next Saturday night’s clash with Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
With just four matches remaining in the regular season, Bird said it was important to produce another strong effort against the Power.
“It’s very tight at the top, so every game is really important for us,” he said.
“We need to make sure we finish off the year well and keep improving every week before finals.
“Port have been going very well this year.
“They’ve been down the last few weeks, but we’re expecting a tough game next week over in Adelaide in a hostile environment.
“Hopefully we can improve again after tonight’s performance.”
