The Parkes Spacemen are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 campaign as they gear-up for round 1 of the Peter McDonald Premiership this Sunday.

Parkes is hosting the Dubbo CYMS at Pioneer Oval, games begin from 10.30am, as second-year captain-coach Sam Dwyer has his sights set on making a return to the competition's finals series after a year’s absence.

Following on from a grand final loss to Mudgee in 2024, the Spacemen endured a tougher run last year, ultimately finishing one spot outside the finals in ninth place.

Dwyer said the club has had a strong pre-season, with healthy numbers and a few new additions hitting the training paddock.

“A lot of the boys from last year re-signed at the end of the year, so we’ve got that similar squad but we’ve added a few blokes in which is nice in a couple of key positions,” he said.

They've had as many as 50 or 60 at training - Dwyer said everyone’s keen and it's looking really exciting.

After achieving just five wins last season, one focus for the club over the off-season was on recruitment and retention of key players.

One of those is the return of a local player with experience in the Newcastle and Canberra competitions.

“We’ve signed Campbell Woolnough, he’s been playing up in Newcastle, he’s a hooker,” Dwyer said.

“He actually went to Red Bend, he boarded there, went down to Canberra, was playing a bit down there, and then back up to Newy, and he’s out this way now, so we ended up snagging him which was really nice."

One pair of departures from the club Dwyer was sad to see go was that of veteran Luke Clarke and forward Joash Toringi, who have joined West Wyalong in Group 20.

While Clarke spent the 2025 season in reserve grade, the experienced playmaker will return to first grade football this year coaching the Mallee Men, while Toringi also takes with him experience playing first grade football in Papua New Guinea, Western Australia and the Northern Rivers.

“They were really good, Clarkey’s been around the club for a lot of years now,” Dwyer said.

“He’s played at a few other clubs but spent most of his time here in Parkes and he’s been one of those blokes who has done a lot for the club, both coaching and playing as well.

"So I think West Wyalong have made a good move getting him, he’ll bring a lot of energy, he knows his stuff, and he’s been a good player for a long time, so they’ve done well there.

“Joash, he’s pretty terrifying the big fella, he’s a big unit, he runs the ball hard and his defence is pretty lethal, so they’ll be two really good assets for West Wyalong, I can see them doing big things over there.”

Dwyer said he believes the squad the club has assembled is more than capable of sealing a return to the playoffs this year.

“I definitely think we have the squad to do it, just improving that little bit on last year," he said.

“We’ve got a couple of younger boys that played their first year of first grade last year and having another year under their belt will be a lot better for them, so definitely the goal is to make the finals, and I’m pretty confident we can do that.

“Once we do that, who knows what could happen.”