New North Melbourne recruit Luke Parker wasted no time embracing the club's culture and showing admiration for his new teammates.
Speaking at his first official press conference as a Kangaroo, Parker had high praise for a particular emerging young star, describing him as the type of player who thrives on intensity.
โObviously George Wardlaw coming through, he looks like he's got a screw looseโฆ I love the way he goes about it,โ Parker joked.
โThere are exciting players all over the field, and I think that's great. I look at the team sheet, and it looks as good as any other team in my eyes.โ
Parker, a premiership-winning stalwart with the Sydney Swans, joined North Melbourne in October after requesting a trade following 14 decorated seasons and 293 games in red and white. Celebrated for his toughness and leadership, Parker arrives at Arden Street ready to mentor a promising but youthful Kangaroos midfield brigade.
Parker reflected positively on his early experiences at North Melbourne, sharing that the transition had been smooth.
โIt's great. I came in last week, met all the boys, had a bit of a run around, and officially started today,โ Parker said.
โThe weather turned it on, which was nice. The boys are pushing hard and in really good nick, so I'm excited to get on board and start my journey here.โ
He emphasised his belief in North Melbourne's trajectory under coach Alastair Clarkson, who played a pivotal role in convincing him to make the move.
โTalking to Clarko toward the end of the season, there was a real belief that they were set to grow the club and head in the right direction,โ Parker said.
โThey only needed a few little key changes and percentage lifts to take things to the next level.โ
Having captained Sydney from 2019 to 2023, Parker is well aware of the importance of his leadership in helping North Melbourne's young players develop confidence.
โThe biggest thing for these boys is just belief,โ he said.
โThey've got a core group of leaders who drive really high standards, but it's almost like because there's not the wins on the board, there's probably that little bit of doubt.โ
While Parker is still unsure of his exact role, he expects to rotate between the midfield and forward line as well as provide his usual mentorship.
โYes, we need leadership, but we also need help out on the field steering guys in the right direction and carrying a heavy workload,โ he explained.
โWe'll play around with what that looks like come January and February.โ
Parker admitted it was bittersweet to leave Sydney after such a storied career.
โIn my mind, I was hoping for a perfect exit and to go out on a high, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case,โ he said.
โI've had an incredible career at Sydney and can't thank them enough for the 14 years.โ
However, the former Blood remains optimistic about his future at North Melbourne, excited by the arrivals of fellow recruits Caleb Daniel and Jack Darling and the potential of the Kangaroos' young core.
โI knew the type of players they had and the young crew coming through,โ he said.
โIt doesn't take much to turn things around, grow belief, and get things back on track.โ
