All Golds v Newcastle Thunder KPL1 2017

him in the direction of the 13-
man game, before he signed
his first professional contract
for South Wales Scorpions.
“I didn’t play Union until I was
15 so I started quite late, but
sort of got into Rugby League
that following season through
my Uncle and my Dad,” he
explains.
“They were big Rugby League
fans and my Dad found me a
team in Cardiff, so I signed up
at U15’s and went from there.”
“I signed for Scorpions in
2010, which was quite funny
because I’d just come back
from playing Rugby Union in
New Zealand and had plans
in my head that I was going
to go back travelling, possibly
back to New Zealand, possibly
Australia.
“But I got a call from
(South Wales coach)
Mark Rowley, asking
if I wanted to go to an
open trial for this new
professional team.
“So I went down to Sophia
Gardens in Cardiff for the trial
and managed to get picked
for the squad.”
As is the nature of League
1 Rugby League, Parry
combines his playing
commitments with his full
time job as a firefighter for the
South Wales Fire and Rescue
Service. However, despite the
demanding schedule, he says
that the two jobs complement
each other well.
“I’ve always liked the thought
of being in the public services,
something to help the
community, it’s an exciting job.
“I’m a bit of an adrenaline
junkie so being a firefighter
fits in well with what I want to
do.
“The schedule is pretty hectic
but it works around the
Rugby well. I have to do my
number of hours when I’m out
of training and when I’m not
playing so it does fit in nice.
“I think the fire service like
having sportspeople work for
them. They want fit people
who can do the job effectively
so they kind of encourage
sportspeople to join and work
around it.”
Just seven years after making
his professional debut for
the Scorpions, Parry could
be about to embark on his
biggest achievement to date;
the 2017 Rugby League
World Cup in Australia. With
a place in John Kear’s squad
beckoning, the 28-year-old
knows he needs to stay
focused to cement his spot.
“I know I’ve got to be on my
best form because Wales
have a lot of good players
now and that’s been evident
over the last two years.
“I need to work a little bit
more on my kicking game,
bring that to the forefront and
hopefully that’ll give me a bit
of an edge but it’s all about
working on everything, trying
to be a well-rounded player
and not having too many
weaknesses.
“I pride myself on my work
ethic. I don’t stop and I give
110% every game and try and
be a leader on the field so I’m
hoping that stands out.”
Wales have a tough group,
facing Ireland and Papua
New Guinea, as well as a
star-studded Fiji squad that
includes the likes of Jarryd
Hayne, John Sutton and Tariq
Sims. And while they are far
from favourites, Parry says the
squad still fancy their chances.
“It’s a tough group,” he
chuckles, “it’s a very tough
group but Wales over the last
two years have been a team
based on belief and heart and
have got some great results
on the back of that.
“That’s the big thing for Wales
at the moment, we’ve got
a real tight-knit squad that
work hard for each other and
sometimes it’s not the best
players on the pitch that win
but the hardest working.
“We turned over a fantastic
French team in Cardiff with
probably a weaker side on
paper, then beat Italy, who
had some very good players
including Terry Campese.
“So I don’t think you can write
off Wales. If we play to our
ability and stay tight-knit, then
we’ve got a good chance of
making it out of that group.”
As far as maximum effort
and drive goes, Parry stands
above almost all of his rivals.
And should he get a place on
the plane come October, I can
guarantee that contrary to his
day job, he’ll be setting plenty
of fires on the pitch.
This article was originally
featured in seriousaboutrl.
com – the website for all
things rugby league!
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