Despite a slow start to last Friday night’s trial against Forbes Magpies, Parkes Spacemen captain-coach Dennis Moran was pleased with his side’s effort in their 24-16 win at Pioneer Oval.
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Down 16-4 at half-time, the Spacemen kicked into gear in the second half to keep the visitors scoreless and storm home for the eight point win.
Moran said it is something his charges will need to work on when they travel to Dubbo for another trial against Macquarie this Sunday at 2pm.
“The boys will need to start matches the way they played in the second half last week,” Moran said.
“Overall I was happy with the effort and it was our first proper hit out so I am generally pleased.
“We still have work to do if we are going to be very competitive.
“Our discipline and commitment need to be better in the first half.
“We still have a long way to go to be where we want,” he said.
Parkes got through the match unscathed in the injury department and will hope that continues this weekend.
Moran will not play again this Sunday as he races time to be ready for Round 1 after suffering a rib cartilage injury in the Nines tournament.
“The ribs are coming along okay but it is not a quick process,” Moran said.
“They have improved a lot in the last week.
“I trained with the boys on Tuesday and pulled up a bit sore.
“I am a good chance of being right for the Round 1 match against Cobar on April 12,” he said.
Moran will likely make use of Sunday’s trial to experiment with a couple of positional changes and work on playing structure.
“If the boys can maintain their structure, we showed we can be very good like the second half against Forbes last week,” Moran said.
“Trials are there to get the rustiness out of our play and to try a few things and that is what we will do.
“I am not too concerned with other teams because if we focus on us and perform to our potential we will go a long way this year.
“Having said that, Macquarie are always a good side.
“They have a new coach and have recruited well in the off season.
“It will be a good, tough match which is just what we need before the season proper,” he said.