SPACEMEN supporters left Pioneer Oval very happy on Sunday afternoon, after Parkes recorded a resounding 20 point win over Forbes in the twin town derby.
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The return of half back Chad Porter reaped immediate rewards, while the move of Jack Creith to full back and Bailey Hartwig to five eighth was a masterstroke from Parkes coach Brent Wood.
As expected it was an arm wrestle early, but once a brilliant cut-out pass from Porter sent Brandon Paige over in the 14th minute - the flood gates opened.
Waisele Ratudina went over three minutes later after combining with a rampaging Waisele Lacabuka down the right touch line, and there were big danger signs for the Magpies.
Despite doing a mountain of work in defence, Forbes just could not contain the dynamic trio of Porter, Creith and Hartwig - and with regular full back Sam Dwyer set to return soon from injury, it has given Wood plenty to think about.
"Gee it's a good headache to have isn't it," Wood said after the game about his new spine combination.
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Down 18-nil at the break, Forbes were in big trouble - and it didn't get much better after half time.
A spectacular no-look flick pass from Creith sent Hartwig over early on in the second term, and when Jacob Smede sprinted 100 metres to score the lid was well and truly off - and the crowd erupted.
Most pleasingly for Wood though, was that there were contributors right across the board.
"I was very pleased everyone played their role.
"We didn't let them get any field position in the second half, and I was happy because we were patient," said Wood.
The patience he was talking about manifested in some silky attacking plays, primarily through Porter - and Hartwig added an extra dimension with his kicking.
Forbes finally broke through for their first try 65 minutes into the game, but it was too little, too late.
Mitch Andrews and Traie Merritt were absolutely trying their guts out for the Magpies, but unfortunately the defence opened up far too easily - and coach Cameron Greenhalgh has a mammoth task to get his charges back on task.
Wood though, will have no such issues ahead of another home game this weekend - this time against a strong Wellington Cowboys side.
Parkes Spacemen 32 (Smede, Paige, Ratudina, Hartwig, C. Porter, Farrer, Yaca Tui tries; Porter 2 goals) defeated Forbes Magpies 12 (Willis, Maguire tries; Merritt 2 goals)
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