The Forbes Magpies have put their stamp on the 2025 season with a crushing 6-50 win over rivals Parkes in a cold and wild derby clash at Jock Colley Oval.
After more than 20 minutes of back-and-forth play in freezing rain and even light hail, Forbes broke the deadlock in style - scoring three tries before the break and taking a commanding 0-14 lead into halftime.
From there, the Magpies never looked back.
"We knew that Parkes were going to come out hard ... and they did that," captain Nick Greenhalgh said.
"They charged through the middle there and it was back and forth for a long time but we knew if we stuck to our structure and stuck to our defence, once we got on top we'd stay on top and that was the case."
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The Forbes fans on their hill rose to their feet as the Magpies burst down the ground for back to back tries early in the second half - and Greenhalgh pointed to this run of tries as putting the dent in the Spacies on the day.
This second-half blitz saw Forbes extend their lead to 0-38 before Parkes finally got on the scoreboard with a converted try in the final 15 minutes.
But Forbes responded immediately, tightening their grip on the game in the closing stages.
Standouts Jack Smith and Chad Porter thrilled the travelling Forbes supporters: Smith running the length of the field to score under the posts, and Porter diving over in the final minute to seal his hat-trick and cap off the commanding win.
Greenhalgh said the win had been a team effort but both those players were outstanding.
"They were unbelievable," he said, as well as crediting the forward pack for laying the platform.
The Magpies now sit on top of the Peter McDonald Premiership ladder, level on points with Mudgee Dragons but ahead on for-and-against.
Forbes has been a talking point of the competition since pre-season, and with this performance, the hype only grows.
"It's an exciting group, it's exciting to be a part of and we're looking forward to what lays ahead," Greenhalgh said.
As for the expectations, they'll deal with those a week at a time.
"I think there was a bit of expectation at the start of the year with the squad we'd assembled, so we've got to meet those expectations every single week," Greenhalgh said.
"But the boys are turning up to training with a great attitude, a great mindset, and we're taking on the challenge every week."
Next up the Magpies are away again to Orange Hawks.
FIRST GRADE: FORBES MAGPIES 50 Chad Porter (3), Jack Smith (2), Nick Greenhalgh, Farren Lamb, Jordan Hartwig Conversions Nick Greenhalgh: 7 conversions PARKES SPACEMEN 6
