I was being a tad silly with the suggestion, but really when you throw his name out there compared to the other youngsters in the comp he is genuinely in the discussion, even being mindful of Fyfe, and doesn't get anywhere near the recognition he deserves (or at least doesn't seem to, I don't pay that close attention to footy media anymore!).
If we just look at those mentioned here, and add in O'Meaera, you'd be surprised how their numbers stack up: click here
I get the idea that he has the benefit of playing with a strong midfield, but whilst that does mean he's less likely to get tagged it also means he's probably less likely to get a chance to really rack up numbers because he has less time spent in the middle. Fyfe has kicked 11.9 and has 5 goal assists, Luke has kicked 16.6 and has 10- that's a great output from 15 games.
By using a combination of stats I think you can get a look at guys who are damaging in the midfield and creating up forward at this point of the season. I've opted to use the following;
midfield: >20 disposals per game (included on the off chance a forward is clunking an absurd number of contested marks, I can't recall but think the resultant disposal counts as a contested one), >10 contested disposals per game,
forward: >15 goals, >10 goal assists
general: >5 tackles per game
Now, I didn't choose that combination of stats to just be able to make Luke look good, I think it's a reasonable spread. But they do make him look good. VERY good. Right now here are only 2 people in the AFL doing that, and it's pretty good company.
Gary Ablett 32.1 disposals per game (17.5 contested), 6.1 tackles per game, 24 goals, 18 goal assists
Luke Parker 24.9 dispsoals per game (11.4 contested), 5.7 tackles per game, 16 goals, 10 goal assists
Edit- in an effort to not look like I was trying to single out Luke, I included Pendles who hasn't kicked enough goals. So 2 guys in the whole AFL, and the other one is GAJ!
Scott Pendlebury 28.9 disposals per game (13.2 contested), 6 tackles per game, 12 goals, 10 goal assists
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