As the Bulls filtered out of the changing rooms following Friday night's crushing victory over the Rhinos, Rob Parker was already sitting on the team bus.

Parker did his best to put a brave face on things but there was no hiding his disappointment after he was dropped for just the second time in three years. Missing out on a victory over the Bulls' arch rivals clearly hurt.

"It's a weird feeling and it's not a nice one," admitted Parker. "I don't really want to experience it again."

There was a touch of deja vu about the experience for the

23-year-old forward, who played in every regular season match in 2003 before missing out on Brian Noble's Grand Final line-up. The rest of squad may have been jubilant but Parker struggled to feel part of the occasion.

"To be honest I don't think I took any enjoyment out of Friday's win. I was happy for the lads, it was a brilliant result and if I'd played I would still be on cloud nine now. I like to think of myself as a team player but I didn't feel part of the team."

Parker admitted his omission had come as a shock but vowed to recapture his place in the 17. "I thought in my last game against Salford I did everything pretty much right. But I don't pick the team and I've yet to speak to Brian fully and work things out.

"In all fairness, how does he drop someone now and put me in? How would he justify that? But that is why he gets paid all of those pennies.

"The experience is probably good for me because I want to be part of it. Some people fall by the wayside and others get back on the horse. You've got to be positive."