Alastair Clarkson says an extended break from being head coach of North Melbourne has helped him regain his mental and physical health.
"Ten weeks ago, I came to the realisation I needed to be genuine to myself, my family, and my football club and acknowledge those priorities were not being met," Clarkson said.
"As a result, I needed to remove myself from the football treadmill.
"(Wife) Caryn and I were getting warning signals regarding my physical and mental wellbeing on numerous occasions, and May 17 was the day of realisation that I could only invest in my family, my club and my community if I got myself back to full health.
"With the help of Dr David Cahill, Dr Peter Parker and Professor Steve Davis, we have put in place strategies that have been pivotal to my progress, and these are ongoing needs I endeavour to address moving forward."
Callum Mills, Dane Rampe and Luke Parker will co-captain Sydney again in 2023.
"Luke, Dane and Callum set a great example not only in the way they consistently prepare and perform at an elite level, but the way they invest in our football club more broadly," Sydney footy manager Charlie Gardiner said.
"They support and complement one another extremely well, and the model has worked for us over the past couple of years."
Sydney name three co-captains for season 2022. Josh Kennedy has stepped down as co-captain with Callum Mills to take his place alongside Luke Parker and Dane Rampe.
"Josh approached me mid-way through last season and said, 'Millsy’s ready'. To identify that, foster it, and then make a selfless decision, sums up the sort of person Josh is. I know he will continue to be an important mentor," Sydney coach John Longmire said of Kennedy's decision to step down.
Luke Parker wins his third Bob Skilton medal as Sydney's club champion for the 2021 season.
Parker polled 543 votes to win the count from reigning club champion Jake Lloyd (504), while Jordan Dawson (502) was rewarded for his breakout season with a place on the podium.
Swans co-captain Luke Parker got a closer-than-expected look at the disastrous effects of the bushfires while he was enjoying the Christmas break on the south coast of NSW.
Parker, his partner Kate, teammate Isaac Heeney and his partner Lauren, were holidaying in Manyana, a small beach town approximately 200km from Sydney, when the fires took hold in the final days of 2019.
"Kate has a holiday house in Manyana and it's one of my favourite places in the world," he said.
"Lake Conjola is only a kilometre away and 90 houses were lost there, and everybody was evacuated onto the beach on New Year's Eve."
Lance Franklin is the new face in Sydney's player-voted leadership group for 2020, joining co-captains Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Dane Rampe, as well as young gun Callum Mills.
The Swans have slashed the group from eight players to five, with retired pair Jarrad McVeigh and Nick Smith, Isaac Heeney and Tom Papley no longer involved.
Dane Rampe is crowned Sydney's club champion for 2019, winning his first Bob Skilton Medal in front of 900 guests at The Star.
Rampe polled 581 votes to win easily from young midfielder George Hewett (461), with fellow co-captain Luke Parker (458) rounding out the podium.
"Dane’s an incredibly popular player, he’s a fierce competitor, he’s a hard trainer and he’s someone who our first-year recruits to seasoned campaigners look up to and respect tremendously," Sydney coach John Longmire said.
"Now a well-deserved club champion, Dane will no doubt continue to be a great leader around the club and do everything possible to put the team in a position to challenge again."
Luke Parker admits that he declared his love for Sydney and the Swans via Instagram in September of 2018 to put an end to speculation about his future.
"I was sick of getting messages from my mates who didn't believe me when I kept telling them I love it in Sydney, so I thought I'd put a stop to it," he said.
"Even after I put the post online, a story still came out the next day saying that I might not be staying (with the Swans), so I just couldn't win.
"I was never leaving, I absolutely love the club."
Jake Lloyd wins his first Bob Skilton medal as Sydney's best and fairest for the 2018 season.
Lloyd polled 540 votes, just ahead of Luke Parker (517) and Lance Franklin (510).
"From the moment Jake arrived at the club he instantly impressed all of us with his work ethic and his eagerness to learn and make the most of his opportunity," Swans coach John Longmire said.
"It's a terrific achievement to be crowned club champion and a great reward for the commitment and work he’s put in."
Sydney strongly rebuffs speculation surrounding the future of vice-captain Luke Parker.
"I was very surprised to hear about trade rumours regarding Luke Parker," Sydney head of football Tom Harley said.
"I can unequivocally deny those rumours, we've spoken to Luke on Wednesday and he's fully invested with the Swans and we won't be trading him under any circumstances at all."
Luke Parker claims his second Bob Skilton medal as Sydney's best and fairest for the 2017 season.
Parker finished with 696 votes, with Coleman medal winner Lance Franklin and defender Jake Lloyd close behind him (650).
"We know and see every week how much Luke competes – he’s just a fantastic competitor," Sydney coach John Longmire said.
"He helps to set the standards around the club and on the ground on match-day. He has the ability to grasp what the team needs at any particular time, and that shows what type of quality person he is."
Sydney has been fined $20,000, with half of it suspended, for failing to disclose cortisone injections taken by Luke Parker and Lance Frankin during the 2016 finals series.
Parker and Franklin were both fined $5000 for not completing the required paperwork under the AFL's treatment rules.
According to the League, the Swans failed to keep and maintain a complete, accurate and up-to-date Register of Controlled Treatments in the AFL's Controlled Treatments Register.
Luke Parker faces major interruptions to his pre-season program after undergoing surgery.
Parker's recovery from a PCL injury sustained in the preliminary final against Geelong hit a hurdle, and he had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to assist his recovery.
Luke Parker says being forced to watch from the sidelines as the Swans crashed to a disappointing finish to the year in 2015 has driven him this season.
"Missing the most important time of the year in the finals last year (was tough), you want to be out there playing with the boys, it's the best part of the year," Parker said.
"To miss that really drove me to just get back and start playing.
"I'm grateful that the medical team have helped me with the leg getting back to 100 per cent and being able to play full games from the get go."
Dan Hannebery and defenders Dane Rampe and Heath Grundy have been added to the Sydney Swans leadership group for 2016.
The trio was voted into the new roles by teammates on the Swans' pre-season camp to Coffs Harbour a fortnight ago, joining co-captains Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack, plus Nick Smith, Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker in the eight-man group.
Luke Parker signs a five-year contract extension with the Sydney Swans and says he never considered leaving the club.
"It's a great thing I've got it done before the season because I didn't want it carrying on and playing on my mind or being a distraction to the team," Parker said.
"My heart was always here so at the end of the day I wanted to stay a Swan.
"I've absolutely loved my time at the club. My family is based in Melbourne but they're up here every second week so they're basically living here anyway.
"I love the lifestyle up here, I love the club and the culture, they're just a great bunch of boys and I couldn't say no."
Sydney coach John Longmire says Luke Parker could be a chance to play again this season despite having surgery on his right lower leg.
Longmire said the 22 year-old had a plate inserted to fix a lower leg fracture and is expected to miss 4-5 weeks, meaning he could return for the finals should the Swans progress into the second or third weekend of the post-season.
"It's terrific to hear that he didn't have any significant ankle damage, so that was a real positive to come out of it," Longmire said.
"It could have been a lot worse and it's up to us, I guess, whether he gets back, as far as how deep we go (into the finals)."
Luke Parker's season is likely over after he suffered a fractured fibula in his side's 11-point win over Collingwood at the SCG.
"He's got a fractured fibula, which is the smaller bone in the lower leg, so he's having another scan today just to check out his ankle ligament damage – things like syndesmosis and what not," Swans coach John Longmire said.
"So we're not quite sure what that result will come until later on today.
"But the initial diagnosis is a fractured fibula so that's probably, if he has an operation, a four-week best-case scenario if there's no other damage. We don't know if there's any other damage."
Luke Parker becomes the youngest player to join the Sydney Swans' leadership group.
The midfielder, currently the Swans' reigning best and fairest winner, wasn't shy in identifying what made him a leader.
"For me, it started off with a lot of 'lead by example' stuff out on the field and that was not a questionable thing for me," Parker said.
"The next step was voicing my opinion and being able to drive the group. I think Rhyce Shaw gave me the confidence that what I actually say is valued, and it gave me the confidence to really start talking up and driving the group."
Luke Parker caps off a stunning season by taking out Sydney's best and fairest award for 2014.
Parker polled in all bar three games across the season to finish on 758 votes, well clear of Kennedy (709) and Franklin (688).
"Luke is a wonderful competitor and to win a club champion award at 21 years of age, after just 82 games' experience, is a great achievement," Swans coach John Longmire said.
"When you look at the players behind him – Kennedy and Franklin – you quickly get an understanding of how good a season he has had and how highly we think of him as a player.
"Luke was taken as quite a late draft pick, but he really is testament to where hard work can get you, and we value that highly."
Luke Parker is taken to hospital with an eye injury to top off a disappointing night for the Sydney Swans in their 35-point defeat at the hands of West Coast during a NAB Challenge match in Blacktown.
"I'm not sure how serious it is," Sydney coach John Longmire told reporters after the game.
"'Gibbsy' (Swans doctor Nathan Gibbs) sent him across to the hospital, so it was serious enough for that.
"Luke wouldn't just come off it was a poke in the eye."
Luke Parker hopes to be available for round one despite suffering bleeding on his eye after knock against Eagles in thee NAB Challenge.
"Thankfully the back of his eye seems OK and he will just require some rest as the blood at the front of his eye settles down," Sydney coach John Longmire said.
"Luke has had a great pre-season and if he is unavailable next weekend in Brisbane, we hope to have him return for round one."
Sydney Swans midfielder Luke Parker will miss up to six weeks after breaking his collarbone in three places against the Western Bulldogs.
"It wasn't quite a straight crack," Swans physiotherapist Matt Cameron said.
"It was displaced so they had to go in and line it up again and get it in a position to heal.
"Once it's showing signs of healing, then he's allowed to return. That should mean a four to six weeks period before he can return to play."
Monday, 4 June 2012
The Swans' big win over the Bulldogs has been soured by a severe injury to midfielder Luke Parker.
"He's got a broken collarbone, so six-to-eight weeks would be a good-case scenario," Sydney coach John Longmire said after the game.
"It's unfortunate for him, he's been a really good contributor for us and is a super young player, hard and tough, and he's had a couple of breaks this year.
"I know he's tough, but I don't think he'll be coming back any quicker than that."
Thursday, 5 April 2012
Luke Parker is ready to resume playing with the Swans only two seeks since fracturing his jaw against GWS.
"He essentially did a fitness test with his dad last week," Swans coach John Longmire said.
"He went home for the weekend and his dad planted one on his chin and his dad gave him the all clear. I think it was just a muck around and his dad asked him how he was going. He said 'pretty well' and I think his dad just wanted to make sure he was OK.
"It probably isn't any wonder Luke goes for the ball the way he does."
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
John Longmire says Swan Luke Parker, not Giant James McDonald, made more of a 'statement' in their clash on Saturday night.
"For me the big statement out of the game was a 19-year-old that was cleaned up and had an injury being able to play the rest of the game out and play really well," Longmire said.
"That's the statement that matters to me and to Luke's teammates. He's a super tough kid who was cleaned up, obviously injured, but able to keep playing and play really well."
Saturday, 14 May 2011
Luke Parker makes his AFL debut for Sydney at the SCG with 7 disposals (4 kicks and 3 handballs), 2 marks and a tackle in a 62-point win over Port Adelaide.