Dream farewell for the best of rivals
THEY started their career together, and Joel Parkinson said it would be a dream to farewell great mate Mick Fanning by turning back the clock seven years to a repeat of their 2011 Rip Curl Pro final at Bells Beach.
Fanning has described Parkinson as both his great mate and fiercest rival on the world tour he jumped on full-time in 2002 — a year after ringing the bell for the first time as a teen wildcard.
Parkinson said he still loves nothing better than meeting Fanning “man-on-man” in competition, with his dream farewell for Fanning both of them to be in the decider of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.
The world tour event has been on standby for two days but is expected to kick off today.
“How good would that be, a final together,’’ said Parkinson, who has been in six finals at Bells and won three, including his 2011 battle with Fanning.
“No matter what happened it would be a win-win for both of us. We started together, it would be very special to see him go out right beside him.’’
Fanning is a four-time winner of the Rip Curl Pro and the fourth most-winning surfer on the world tour with 22 event victories during 16 years of competition on the elite circuit.
He chose Bells to exit the tour because he says it is “one of the most special places in the world”.
“Probably my biggest rivalry, and the person I put so much emotion and preparation into, was Parko,’’ Fanning said after confirming he will retire from the tour.
“Ever since we were 13 we were competing against each other in junior comps, then state titles and Aussie titles.
“He was the guy that I always wanted to beat so badly. Still, to this day, if we’re in a heat together, I want to beat him so, so bad.’’
Parkinson will take on Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi and Aussie rookie Wade Carmichael in round one, with Fanning against Hawaiian Sebastian Zietz and Brazilian Jesse Mendes.