Wil Parker Biography

Former cricketer Wil Parker has officially joined the Magpies as a category B rookie.

The leg-spinner played for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield and Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League, but has decided to return to footy.

"Wil has experience in an elite sporting environment and will fit seamlessly into our program. He will gradually integrate into training over the coming month or two as he transitions into a full-time AFL program," Collingwood's general manager of football Graham Wright said.

Football loses in its battle for cross-code young star Wil Parker.

Parker was considered a potential first-round pick at the 2020 NAB AFL Draft but has confirmed he has chosen instead to pursue a cricket career.

Wil Parker looms as a possible top-20 pick at this year's NAB AFL Draft, but the Victorian leg-spinner faces a tough call between cricket and footy.

After the domestic cricket season was cut short by the COVID-19 outbreak, Parker's hopes to establish his football credentials were then slashed when the NAB League was suspended indefinitely.

"It has, because obviously I haven't been able to play footy, so I don't know where I stand in the grand scheme of things. I think people would say it's an easier choice to choose cricket because I don't know how good I am in footy," he said.

"There is a bit of pressure because there isn't a lot of kids who have this choice, so I feel privileged and I feel very lucky. I feel like I can't lose, either way I'm going to be happy, it's just which one I choose. I'm still not quite sure which it is."