DARCY Parish has signed on at Essendon, recommitting to the Bombers on a five-year contract and turning down his free agency options.
The restricted free agent spent the first half of this year getting a sense of the club's direction under coach Brad Scott before making clear he wanted to stay a Bomber for the long-term.
The new deal locks the star midfielder in at Essendon until the end of the 2028 season, when Parish will be 31, and comes after long and drawn-out negotiations.
The 2021 All-Australian had gathered rival interest but now joins fellow Bomber Mason Redman in turning his back on free agency to stick in the red and black.
Parish was in career-best form at the start of this season before a calf injury ruled him out for six weeks in the middle of the year.
He has played 150 games for the Bombers since being the club's No.5 pick at the 2015 draft, where he stepped into the Essendon midfield in his first season in 2016 and finished third in the Rising Star count that year.
Parish spent several years then being used between the midfield and forward line before his breakout 2021 season, when he finished second in the Bombers' best and fairest after averaging 30 disposals that year.
The club's No.3 is a key part of its hopes to build to success under Scott, with the coach saying throughout the year he wanted to build an environment that meant Parish and Redman would want to recommit.
