PARFITT KEEN TO SHOW HE CAN DELIVER AGAIN
EMERGING Geelong midfield star Brandan Parfitt has put the acid on himself to take the next step after a careerbest performance against North Melbourne.
Parfitt amassed 34 touches in the win over the Roos on Sunday — his best output since Round 4, 2018, against St Kilda when he collected 28 disposals — but he is determined to continue that form against West Coast on Saturday.
“I was pretty happy with the way I went about things,” Parfitt said.
“I was pretty consistent throughout four quarters, but the next step is to back it up now. Throughout my career I’ve had a couple of good games and it’s a matter of backing it up and doing it consistently.”
Parfitt was the most prolific player on the ground for the Cats on Sunday night, taking the lead from usual suspects Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood and Mitch Duncan.
“Brandan was excellent on the weekend, he did a lot of heavy lifting,” skipper Selwood said.
“But we have that now; we need different guys stepping up and he was outstanding, along with a few others.”
Dangerfield and Selwood in particular have carried the team in recent years, a weight that has inspired Parfitt to ease the burden on the Cats’ ageing stars.
“It definitely helps (if others take more responsibility),” Parfitt said.
“They’ve been the benchmark for the last 10 years really and we’ve been big on the club and the next generation improving and performing, so hopefully I can do it.”
Eager to produced another eye-catching performance, Parfitt concedes his side faces a stern test against the Eagles at GMHBA Stadium.
“It is (a big game),” he said. “They’re a great side, great midfield and my old mate Tim Kelly will be running around, so hopefully we can stop him and the rest of them.
“I think we have to limit the amount of damage he can do, but they’ve got some other quality midfielders as well, so I’m not sure if we’ll go with a tagging role or anything like that, but we’ll definitely have to do something.”