In an unregulated draft, New South Wales' Alyce Parker could have easily been a No. 1 pick.
In the state-based NAB AFL Women’s Draft Parker
Parker's a born-and-raised farm girl who loves nothing more than getting out on the motorbike she got for her 17th birthday and riding around the course she's fashioned for herself at the back of the property.
The youngest of three girls, she spends most of her free time helping her mum and dad, Donna and Fraser, on the mid-sized farm about a five-hour drive south-west of Sydney, where the Parkers tend to sheep and grow canola, wheat
"I've been on the farm down in the Riverina with dad since I could walk, I reckon," Parker said.
"It's my
"I rarely sit down on the couch and do nothing, I'm always outside when I can. It's just awesome, not only for your mental
Parker's a multi-sport star, at one stage participating in seven disciplines: swimming, tennis, netball, cricket, football, soccer and athletics.
A naturally talented athlete, Parker once made the state schoolgirls’ competition in
Her parents drove her and her older sisters literally thousands of
Swimming is Parker's other strong suit – she competed at national competitions as a sprint freestyler.
"Coming from a swimming background has definitely helped my football, not only my body
"I was often at events where (Olympic gold medallist) Mack Horton was swimming and the whole crowd would just be amazed at his long strokes.
"Watching him swim was a highlight, even when I was swimming myself. To be able to sit in the
Parker grew up kicking the footy on the front lawn with her dad, playing her first game in grade six with boys at Holbrook Public School.
Her secondary school, Billabong High School in nearby Culcairn, has a strong girls' footy program and has won multiple inter-school competitions.
She quickly moved through the ranks, representing NSW/ACT for four years, culminating in state MVP titles in 2017 and this year.
Parker also represented the combined Allies (in 2017) and the Eastern Allies over the past two years in the second stage of the revamped NAB AFLW Under-18 Championships and was named the Eastern Allies' MVP this year.
Her biggest assets are her power and competitiveness.
Honed over years of activity, whether that was
The midfielder has a strong kick, sure hands and an indefatigable desire to simply win the ball.
"Coming from a background of sports, I've developed skills for reading the game," Parker said.
"The contest is also a big thing for me, so when the ball is going up in a ruck contest, I want to read that tap. There's no better feeling than getting a clean getaway, having a bounce, kicking it and hitting up a target."
There's little doubt Parker will have an immediate impact in the AFLW.
She played for the Southern GIANTS against a Brisbane team stacked with AFLW players in the Women’s Winter Series this year.
The GIANTS team, which was made up of players from southern New South Wales, lost heavily, but Parker was best on
Next year, she'll be playing at the GIANTS alongside her NSW/ACT coach, Alicia Eva.
"She covers the ground really well aerobically, but her ability to break out of traffic, drive her legs through into space and then get the ball moving long is her hallmark trait at the moment," Eva said.
"She's got really solid hands, so she can go forward and take a grab as well.
"She's very switched on, but she can be very quiet. She's a ripping kid, works really hard and ticks all the boxes in terms of recovery and preparation,” she said.
“She's all ready to go in terms of being the ultimate professional.”
