Perhaps people appear to be heaping a high expectation on Parcell because his form in Q Cup was that of a top line player stuck behind a club favourite (McCullough) and a couple of versatile Nikorima's. Brisbane held Parcell in high regard but less versatile to fill in at fullback, wing, centre, half and hooker than the Nikorimas. He was never gonna usurp McCullough, Bennett was loyal and valued his experience even though I don't rate him.
In Q Cup Parcell was the best hooker over the season and in the GF and since they've won the last couple of state cups (QLD teams) they deserve the best second tier comp tag.
Another big reason people have probably allowed themselves to get enthusiastic about Parcell is because we're all aware that if he got injured or struggled to adjust to the new team, we have a young 'premiership winning' back up option which is a rarely heard of luxury for any club.
We also keep discussing Brown and Buhrer as instant onfield assistance.
So optimism can be justified for the time being. It might seem too early for some but when you break down why people feel this way, it's probably because it won't cost us dearly either way.
Bring on 2016!