Forbes Magpies 18s kept the young Spacemen scoreless until the dying minutes of Sunday's junior derby, dealing the hosts a 34-6 defeat at Pioneer Oval.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The traditional June long weekend clash of the rivals was played out in chilly conditions at Parkes' Jock Colley Field, before a crowd that was strong in number and voice.
The Magpies made their intentions clear early and although they made errors of their own, the boys in black and white were quick to capitalise where Parkes fumbled.
The Magpies scored within minutes of the kick-off, winger Jake Roberts the first to cross the line.
Parkes applied some pressure in the first half, but Forbes' defence held strong and when the young Spacies did cross the line they were called back for a forward pass.
It was Forbes hooker Joey Morrison who scored the only other points for the half, crossing the line to give the visitors a 10-point lead at half time.
Parkes captain Charlie Mahon said that 30-minute effort was one of the best he's seen from his squad so far this season, and he couldn't have been prouder of their efforts.
But the Magpies had bigger things to come in the second half.
The Spacies lost powerful centre Malakai Folau for 10 minutes, and Forbes' points added up with tries to Harry Scott, Dominic Calvani, Campbell Rubie and Preston Thorpe extending the Magpies' lead to 28 points.
Parkes got the ball down their end and applied the pressure, but the Magpies were successful in holding them up in three separate attempts to get over the try-line.
Back at the Forbes end the Magpies couldn't be stopped, this time it was Matty Duke who crossed with Jake Roberts adding the extras to see Forbes up 0-34 just six minutes out from full time.
Parkes finally broke through with just three minutes to go, Tye Toomey scoring and Kaid Lydford good with the kick for a 6-34 final scoreline.
Forbes coach Ben Godden could hardly be unhappy with that - although he rued the errors that did give Parkes their opportunities.
"They held up well (in defence), I was very very happy with that, very pleased," he said.
The Magpies have already had some big wins this season against Mudgee Dragons (50-12), Wellington Cowboys (60-1 and 68-6)) and Dubbo Macquarie (34-0) but they've also had losses to Nyngan Tigers and Dubbo CYMS.
"They're going all right, it's only our discipline that lets us down at times," Godden said.
"We do have a really good squad: they're good young blokes and they all work hard for each other."
Parkes' Charlie Mahon was proud of his side's efforts against a solid Forbes side.
"I couldn't be prouder of the boys," he said. "Especially when they had 12 boys out there, when Mal wasn't on.
"It was just the one-out stuff from Forbes, the second-phase play, all our offloads ... just killed us all game."
