Senior coach John Worsfold says fresh legs allowed Darcy Parish to produce his final-quarter heroics in Essendon’s win over Sydney at the SCG on Sunday.

Parish tallied just four disposals in the first three quarters as a forward on limited game-time, before being unleashed in midfield in the final term to record 13 disposals, four inside 50s, 252 metres gained and the match-winning goal.

Worsfold praised the 22-year-old for stepping up to the plate.

“The way the game is played these days, players roll through a number of positions. Darcy spends a little bit of time on the outside, and working from the forward line up the ground,” Worsfold said on AFL 360. 

“We knew Darcy hadn’t had a lot of ground time. He was one of the lower on-field ground time players we had, so we got the message that he was fresh, so that meant we could get him around the ball a little bit more.

“He was doing so well that he stayed up around the ball. All the hard work he did through the pre-season means he’s no doubt the fittest he’s ever been, and he’s able to perform in crunch time in a big game.”

With Dyson Heppell and Devon Smith returning from injuries and young gun Andrew McGrath spending more time in midfield, competition is hot for spots in the Bombers’ engine room. 

Worsfold said Parish had all the traits to flourish as a full-time midfielder, but needed to remain adaptable.

“He’s clearly a player that loves to be around the contest. He takes the ball cleanly and hits in hard at the hard-ball gets,” he said. 

“It’s just a matter of him to keep working and be ready for those opportunities when they open up.”