I can vouch for that, having witnessed such traits at close quarters many years ago.

I first crossed paths with Parr when I was much younger, still a teenager, playing in a second-grade cricket match for Lambton-New Lambton against Stockton at Ford Oval.

I needed some runs to keep my spot in the team, which, funnily enough, was the story of my far-from-illustrious career.

Anyway, early in my innings, I attempted a hook shot and the ball brushed my glove on its way through to the wicket-keeper, who caught it cleanly. Howzat?

"Not out," came the reply.

The real issue was not just that I stood my ground (ie cheated), but that we had no official umpires, so the bloke affording me the benefit of the doubt was one of my own teammates.

To borrow a line Parr used at a press conference on Tuesday, it was "not a good look".

An already-controversial situation turned nuclear an over or so later, when I attempted another hook shot for the same result - I gloved it straight to the keeper.

It was a virtual action replay and, once again, the decision was "not out", after which I remained shamelessly at the crease.

At this moment, I discovered two opposition players towering over me, blocking out the sun. It was Parr and his great mate John Allanson, who would later play on the wing for the Knights.

Suffice to say they informed me in no uncertain terms what they thought of my sportsmanship, or lack thereof, and exactly where they planned to stick my bat.

Karma eventually caught up with me and I was dismissed for 20-odd, copped a deserved send-off, and found myself in third grade the next week.

A few months later, I remember being sent to Townson Oval to watch a district rugby league match between South Newcastle and now-defunct North Newcastle.

The star of the show was none other then South centre Peter Parr, who scored five tries and kicked 12 goals for a 44-point haul that remains a competition record.

I'm pretty sure that was my first-ever front-page story, back in the old black-and-white broadsheet days, and it may well have been the first rugby league game I ever covered.

Parr was an outstanding player in the local comp, who helped South win consecutive grand finals in 1988-89, scoring 20 points in the former.

He trialled with the Knights in 1987, as they prepared for their inaugural season, but candidly admits: "On reflection, I didn't play well enough or consistently enough to get to that next level. I've got no complaints that the Knights didn't sign me."

Despite his humble assessment of himself as a player, Parr has still managed to spend the best part of three decades earning a living from the game he loves.

That was the last thing on his mind when he left Newcastle for Perth in the early 1990s, having secured an employment promotion with Telecom.

While over there, he was appointed coach of the Western Australian representative team, then was offered the role of reserve-grade coach at expansion franchise the Western Reds.

After the Reds folded, he joined Adelaide Rams, and when they too were wound up, he had a stint as coaching-and-development manager at Brisbane Broncos.

In 2001, he was encouraged to join North Queensland Cowboys, and what he expected would be a two-year posting turned into a 21-year stay, during which time he served as football manager, chief executive and board member.

Along the way, he experienced the full spectrum of highs and lows. A premiership triumph, two more grand final appearances, and seasons when the Cowboys were at the less glamorous end of the ladder.

Nonetheless, even after all his years in the game, Parr admits his first three weeks since joining the Knights as their new director of football have been a rare challenge.

On his first day in the job, David Klemmer was stood down after a much-publicised run-in with high-performance manager Hayden Knowles.

Then followed this week's controversy involving Kalyn Ponga and Kurt Mann, and the news that Bradman Best and Enari Tuala had been dumped to reserve grade for tardy timekeeping.

In amongst the procession of club-related dramas, Parr had to deal with the sudden death last week of one of his closest friends, former Cowboys coach Paul Green, an event that left him "devastated".

"If you'd told me three weeks ago what I was in for, maybe I'd have had second thoughts," he said with a wry smile.

But in a crisis situation, Parr's unflappable nature has been immediately evident. His handling of Tuesday's press conference was cool, calm and collected at all times.

Parr can't be expected to resurrect the Knights on his own. But at a time when the club's leadership has rarely attracted such intense scrutiny, it is reassuring that one of the NRL's most respected administrators is now helping pull the strings, behind the scenes.

As I learned first-hand many years ago, he's a formidable opponent. A good man, in other words, to have on your team.