Corey Parker (rugby league)

Corey Parker
Personal information
Born (1982-05-05) 5 May 1982
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Height 188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 102 kg (16 st 1 lb)
Playing information
Position Lock, Second-row, Prop
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2001–16 Brisbane Broncos 347 39 586 0 1328
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2004–16 Queensland 19 0 0 0 0
2010–13 Prime Minister's XIII 2 0 3 0 6
2011–16 Australia 13 0 4 0 8
2015 NRL All Stars 1 0 0 0 0
As of 9 June 2016
Source: Rugby League Project, NRL Stats

Corey Parker is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer who previously captained the Brisbane Broncos of the National Rugby League. A Queensland State of Origin and Australia national representative lock or second-rower, he can also play prop and played his entire professional career at the Broncos club, with whom he won the 2006 NRL Premiership. He also fulfilled goal kicking duties for the Broncos.

Playing career

Parker playing for the Broncos in 2004
Parker in action against the Bulldogs
Parker playing for the Broncos in 2009
Parker in action for the Broncos

2000s

Parker, made his NRL debut in 2001 with the Broncos, scoring a try in his first match.[1] At times earlier in his career he weighed as much as 108 kilogrammes and sometimes played prop.

Parker was selected to represent Queensland as an interchange for games II and III of the 2004 State of Origin series and game III of the 2005 State of Origin series.

During a match against the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Stadium, coach Wayne Bennett watched as fellow Bronco Shane Webcke was taken off the field by a trainer after being knocked out by Wests Tigers prop Bryce Gibbs. Parker was brought on as a replacement for Webcke, and, as noticed, the Broncos played with 14 men. Parker immediately scored a try following the Webcke incident. An investigation days later stripped the Broncos (who won the match 32-24) of the two competition points gained[2] but an appeal held weeks later saw the two points reinstated.

Parker was the highest point-scorer for the Broncos with a total of 142 points in 2006. He was selected to play from the interchange bench in Brisbane's victory in the 2006 NRL Grand Final. As 2006 NRL Premiers, the Brisbane Broncos travelled to England to face 2006 Super League champions, St Helens RLFC in the 2007 World Club Challenge. Parker played at second-row forward, scoring a try and kicking three goals from four attempts in the Broncos' 14-18 loss.

In 2007, despite suffering an injury in round one and missing the next eight games, he was again able to finish the season as the Broncos' top point-scorer. In the Broncos' first match of the NRL season 2008, Parker broke the Broncos' club record for most goals in a match, kicking ten from ten. On 26 March 2008, it was announced Parker had re signed with the Brisbane Broncos for a further 3 years.

At the start of season 2008, Parker was the first choice kicker for the Broncos, but however, during a knee injury which kept him on the sideline for 6 weeks, the Brisbane Broncos decided to make Michael Ennis the first choice kicker. Following Ennis' move to the Bulldogs at the end of 2008, Parker again became the Broncos' primary goal kicker in 2009.

For the 2009 NRL season new Broncos coach Ivan Henjak moved Parker to lock. This proved a success as in April that year he was named in the preliminary 25 man squad to represent Queensland in the opening State of Origin match for 2009.[3] Although he did not make an appearance for the maroons, Parker won the 2009 Paul Morgan Medal as the Broncos' Player of the Year.

2010s

On 14 May 2010, Parker played his 200th game for the Broncos, becoming the second youngest player to reach the milestone for the club. In September 2010, Corey Parker became captain of the Prime Ministers XIII.

Parker was named the 2011 forward of the year at the Broncos.[4]

Parker played all three games of the 2013 State of Origin series in which Queensland extended their record for consecutive series victories to eight. Parker had made the most offloads out of all players in the 2013 NRL season. Parker was named the 2013 Brisbane Broncos season's player of the year.[5] In the post season he traveled to Europe with the Australian national team for the 2013 World Cup, helping them reclaim it. In 2013 Corey Parker was awarded International Lock of the Year, The Player's Player award, Most Consistent award, the Best Forward award, Dally M Lock of the Year, and Rugby League Week Player of The Year.

In 2014, Parker captained the Brisbane Broncos to the final of the Auckland Nines. In the Auckland Nines, Parker also scored a bonus try against the Roosters. Against the Eels in round 5 of 2014, Parker became the third ever Bronco to reach 1000 points, after Darren Lockyer and Michael De Vere. In May 2014 Corey Parker played in the Trans-Tasman test match for Australia, against New Zealand. Parker suffered an injury in round 13 against the Raiders, which ruled him out of Game 2 of the 2014 State of Origin. He made his return in Game 3 and received Man of the Match. Peter Sterling quoted Parker's Game 3 as been the best performance by a forward in a State of Origin game he has seen. In Round 25 against the Dragons, Parker became the second highest point scorer in Brisbane Broncos history with 1066 points.

In Round 1 of the 2015 NRL season, Corey Parker played his 300th NRL game, against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. This made Parker the 22nd NRL player to play 300 games. After the Queensland Maroons 52-6 victory against the New South Wales Blues in the 2015 State of Origin to win the series, Parker was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal. In Round 22 of the 2015 NRL season against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Parker succeeded Darren Lockyer as the Broncos' highest ever points scorer.[6][7]

Within the weeks leading up to the 2016 NRL season, coach Wayne Bennett announced Parker as the Broncos captain. In June 2016, Parker announced that he would retire from the NRL at years end.

Statistics

Season Team Pld T G FG Pts
2001 Brisbane Broncos 13 2 0 0 8
2002 Brisbane Broncos 20 2 0 0 8
2003 Brisbane Broncos 23 3 0 0 12
2004 Brisbane Broncos 25 3 13 0 38
2005 Brisbane Broncos 23 1 1 0 6
2006 Brisbane Broncos 25 4 63 0 142
2007 Brisbane Broncos 18 4 45 0 106
2008 Brisbane Broncos 19 3 34 0 80
2009 Brisbane Broncos 27 5 75 0 170
2010 Brisbane Broncos 21 1 69 0 142
2011 Brisbane Broncos 24 3 74 0 160
2012 Brisbane Broncos 17 0 34 0 68
2013 Brisbane Broncos 22 2 10 0 28
2014 Brisbane Broncos 22 0 57 0 114
2015 Brisbane Broncos 24 3 66 0 144
2016 Brisbane Broncos 24 3 45 0 102
Totals 347 39 586 0 1328

Personal life

Parker is married with 4 children.[8]

References

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Justin Hodges
Captain
Brisbane Broncos

2016
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Awards
Preceded by
Paul Gallen
Dally M
Lock of the Year

2013
Succeeded by
incumbent
Preceded by
Andrew McCullough
Brisbane Broncos
Paul Morgan Medal

2013
Succeeded by
incumbent
Preceded by
Alex Glenn
Brisbane Broncos
Best Forward

2013
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Sam Thaiday
Brisbane Broncos
Best Forward

2011
Succeeded by
Alex Glenn
Preceded by
Sam Thaiday
Brisbane Broncos
Paul Morgan Medal

2009
Succeeded by
Josh Hoffman
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