It’s the June long weekend and for local rugby league fans that means arguably the biggest day of the year.
Forbes Magpies make the road trip north to Parkes to take on the Spacemen this Sunday 8 June and the anticipation is high.
Forbes dominated the two clubs’ Round 1 meeting but with the benefit of that contest, the Magpies’ first grade captain Nick Greenhalgh reckons the rivals have got each other’s measure.
The Spacemen will be hungry to get their own back – not only for that Round 1 but after Forbes got the chocolates for the first time in years in the 2024 long weekend clash.
“I expect a much tighter contest than Round 1 and I know that they’ll be ready to go at home,” Greenhalgh said.
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The Magpies are coming from back-to-back wins on their home ground at Spooner Oval: first grade last week locking in 44-20 win over Bathurst St Pat’s last Sunday despite what Greenhalgh described as a slow start and some scrappy sections.
“But our contact and everything else, and winning the ruck, has really improved the last couple of weeks,” Greenhalgh said.
“We’ll need that against Parkes as they’ve got some bigger mobile forward and some quality outside backs so it’s going to be a challenge.”
Importantly, they came out of the clash without injuries and a full-strength squad is expected to be available for selection for this weekend.
“I think we get Jake Porter back this weekend – he’s got a couple of things to tick off but he’s looking really good,” Greenhalgh said.
“I think we’re pretty much full strength if he’s in … No excuses.”
Not that the Magpies will be looking to make any.
Anticipation is building amongst fans and players alike, the town talking about the Mapgies’ form and looking ahead to this weekend.
Acknowledging it might cause dad Cameron Greenhalgh some selection headaches, Nick is glad everyone has the chance to play this weekend.
Grand final aside, it’s probably the biggest crowd most of the team have played in front of and the atmosphere is like none other in the local rugby league.
It’s a day that’s been noted on the calendar since the start of the season, for those who love it, for the returning players who have missed it for the past few years, and for those new to the club.
With two quality sides lining up and the Porter brothers in black and white, Greenhalgh expects this year to be as big or bigger than ever.
“It’s exciting, it gets you motivated to play well and I think the boys are going to be really excited,” he said.
All the action is at Parkes’ Jock Colley Field on Sunday 8 June.
Kick off in the league tag is scheduled for 10.30am, with under 18s listed to follow at 11.30, followed by reserve grade and the first grade fixture flagged for 2pm.
While Forbes completed a clean sweep of all four grades in Round 1 of the 2025 competition at Spooner Oval, Greenhalgh knows “that’s easier said than done”.
Still he’d love to see Forbes fans there to back the club for a full day of footy.
The mood in the club this season is excellent, with 1oo – 150 people at post-game presentation on Sunday nights.
“We did preseason with the whole club this year and that brought everyone together,” Greenhalgh said.
Getting to Parkes early is really the only way to ensure you’ve got a good spot to watch the action.
“You nearly want to take the car over Saturday night to get a decent spot,” the captain laughed.
But seriously, get there as early as you can, and cheer on all grades for Forbes.
