Corey Parker (rugby league)

Corey Parker

Parker playing for the Broncos in 2009
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, Hooker
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2001–	Brisbane Broncos	306	34	495	0	1126
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2004–14	Queensland	13	0	0	0	0
2010–13	Prime Minister's XIII	2	0	3	0	6
2011–14	Australia	11	0	4	0	8
2015	NRL All Stars	1	0	0	0	0
As of 5 March 2015
Source: NRL Stats

Corey Parker (born 5 May 1982 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer and co-captain for the Brisbane Broncos of the National Rugby League. A Queensland State of Origin and Australia national representative second-row or lock forward, he has played his entire professional career to date at the Broncos club, with whom he won the 2006 NRL Premiership. Parker also fulfills goal kicking duties for the Broncos.

Playing career

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 in action for the Broncos

Parker in action against the Bulldogs

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 Wednesday 26 March 2008 it was announced Corey 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 Friday 14 May 2010, Corey Parker played his 200th game for the Broncos, becoming the second youngest player to reach the milestone for the club. In September of 2010, Corey Parker became captain of the Prime Ministers XIII.

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

Playing against the North Queensland Cowboys in Round 2 of the 2012 season, Parker suffered a thumb injury possibly leaving him out for up to 6 weeks.

Parker played all three games of the 2013 State of Origin series in which Queensland extended their record for consecutive series victories to eight. Corey 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 and kicked a goal 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 of 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.

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	5	1	15	0	34
	Totals	305	34	490	0	1116

References

• Corey Parker at the Brisbane Broncos official website.
• Official Corey Parker NRL profile
• Corey Parker at the Former Origin Greats website.