Parkin was recently in Shepparton in his role as patron for the Male Bag Foundation, a charitable organisation that raises money for male health projects, but was also happy to chat about the game that has been a part of his life for almost all his life, including the growing influence over recruiting by private schools and the age of draftees.
Parkin played more than 200 games for Hawthorn, captaining the Hawks to their second premiership in 1971.
He then coached the club to a premiership in 1978, before coaching Carlton to premierships in 1981 and ’82 and then again 1995.
He’s also a member of the Australian Football and Hawthorn Football Club halls of fame. So when he comments on the game it pays to listen.
“All the good kids that are coming through the system get hijacked by the private schools in Melbourne and do their development in one of their under-18 teams,” Parkin said.
“Under-18 football in Bendigo or Ballarat etc has got to suffer the consequences of that and if the excitement and interest is not there, the demand for clubs to provide the opportunity is going to be lessened so I think, I don’t know, but I think Australian football at the top level understands the problem they’ve got.
“How you resolve that I’m not so sure. I think there might be something in raising the draft age. It’s still far too young. Too many players are being drafted and don’t make it.”
With the AFL’s annual national draft due to start on Monday, November 28, Parkin has more than a passing interest in its outcomes.
“Of the 60 (players) that’ll come into the draft now, my son Anthony’s a recruiting officer for Port Adelaide, and he’s now sitting at my house in Point Lonsdale doing the draft system and he’s one who says it should be a year older, that we’re getting them too young, and then before they’re mature enough physically, technically in every other way, they’re thrown out of the system,” he said.
“Some will fight back and come into it, but the majority will be lost to the game. We need to structure a better introductory pathway into the game so we don’t lose players.”
Parkin has been involved in rules reviews for the game and says one change in particular, against his better judgment, has improved it markedly, and former AFL general manager of football operations Steve Hocking should get the credit for it.
“He came up with the idea to stand the man on the mark and take him out of the game,” Parkin said.
“I hate that concept, that we play one man short. Fortunately, he knew what we didn’t know.
“We’ve had 43 per cent improvement in high marks, 43 per cent in 12 months of high marks being taken and the scoring has gone through the roof.
“They’ve gone from being boring as hell and something that I would not go out of my way to watch, to I don’t miss a game now.”
Parkin does not speak so highly of the AFLW though, despite his granddaughters’ apparent disagreement.
“I’m not a great fan (of AFLW) to be truthful,” he said.
“I shouldn’t be saying that. I sat up and watched the women’s cricket final and I thoroughly enjoyed that. I just haven’t enjoyed women’s football as much.
“I think it’s wonderful that I’ve got granddaughters who are playing the game and they love it and so I think that’s very good.”
Parkin said he was confident the game would survive the current scandals swirling around it, including the racism accusations involving Hawthorn, which he questions the accuracy of, and the Brownlow betting allegations.
“I think the game’s in good shape,” he said.
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