Dubbo CYMS coach Shawn Townsend knows his side is a long way from the finished product but Saturday's performance proved the Fishies remain one of the very best sides in the region.
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Some of the pieces might have changed within CYMS but the relentless energy for 80 minutes that has been synonymous with the club for the best part of two decades remains in a big way.
And while CYMS weren't perfect on Saturday afternoon at No. 1 Oval they proved far too strong for Parkes and ran out 40-10 winners in the opening match of the 2021 Group 11 season.
There was pace and power from the Fishies and a huge amount of impact from the bench.
But Townsend turned to his bench and boom off-season recruits James Stanley and Brydon Ramien delivered.
While Stanley battled some handling errors the physicality and metre-eating through the middle he provided got CYMS on the front foot while Ramien continually punched through the defensive line.
"We gained a bit of momentum when James and Brydon came through the middle," Townsend said.
"They're big, powerful kids who are hard to handle so we got some momentum off the back of those blokes going forward."
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CYMS went into the break with an 18-10 lead and went on with the job in the second half.
The Spacemen brought much of the pain on themselves during the second 40, with continual handling errors stunting any chance to build some momentum of their own.
"We've only got ourselves to blame. There's nothing else to it," coach Brent Wood lamented.
A penalty goal from former Macquarie captain-coach Wes Middleton had opened the scoring for Parkes before a perfect cross-field kick from Brad Pickering landed on Jeremy Thurston's chest and got the hosts on the board inside 10 minutes.
The glad grew to 10-2 when Jarryn Powyer went over but Parkes soon gained the upper-hand, finding holes in the CYMS defence and getting back to all square through tries to Spathis and winger Raiden Choice.
But it didn't get much better from there for Parkes as off the back of a penalty soon after CYMS again scored down their left through Josh Toole and after some powerhouse running from Stanley, Pickering scored right on half-time to put his side up 18-10.
Only minutes after the break Stanley went on another barnstorming run and while carrying Parkes defenders was able to stretch out and plant the ball down for another four-pointer.
It was virtually one-way traffic from there as Pickering grabbed his second and Ali Beale and Corey Drew also crossed.
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
