Parke made his VFL debut in 1968 with Melbourne and finished the season with more Brownlow Medal votes than any other Melbourne player. He played most of his football at centre half forward and in 1970 took 238 marks, the most in the league that season. He held the AFL record for most marks in a game. His best year in front of goal came in 1972 when he topped Melbourne's goalkicking with 63 goals.