Like the Spacemen First Grade side, the Spacecats suffered their first loss of the 2017 season to the Dubbo CYMS on Sunday.
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The Spacecats travelled to Dubbo as one of only two undefeated sides, however the side and coach Joe Spicer were fully aware of the dangers the Fishies presented.
With a number of players unavailable – including the in-form Sami Afele and India Draper – Parkes struggled to contain their more experienced counterparts in the early stages.
Taking a 16-4 lead into the break, Parkes held the dominant Dubbo side to a couple of late tries in the second half to go down 28-4 and provide the young Cats with a benchmark to aspire to, moving into the body of the season.
Some bright spots for the Parkes team included try scoring prodigy Lauren Chester crossing for a third consecutive week, while Claire Barber and Paige Hay toiled all day in the back line.
Bethany Magill also continued her development with a typically dependable, mistake-free showing.
In the middle of the paddock, veteran buddies Casey Patton and Demi-Joyce Winter didn’t shirk the challenge from the ultra-competitive Fishies.
Rookie Erin Dwyer stepped up very strongly to fill the void left by Afele.
Players player went to Emeline Lavaka, a day after her 16th birthday, who showed the same big game presence demonstrated by her father at the same ground for a number of years.
The Cats now play the highly touted Westside at home in a strongly anticipated fixture.