JACK Creith and Chad Porter are one of the most dangerous duos in Group 11, and that was no more evident than on Sunday afternoon when the pair scored five tries between them in Parkes' 38-22 twin town derby win over Forbes.
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A very healthy crowd was in attendance at Spooner Oval to watch one of bush footy's biggest rivalries, and the Pies fans were up and about early when Traie Merritt pounced on a clever Nick Greenhalgh grubber to score just 11 minutes into the game.
Porter and Creith then responded with four-pointers of their own, with the two halves seeing the play unfold two tackles before anyone else, much to the delight of their hyped teammates.
Despite the herculean efforts of Ben Maguire, Mitch Andrews and Nick Greenhalgh; the rest of the match was basically played on the Spacies terms, as Creith, Porter and fullback Sam Dwyer pulled the strings.
Forbes, as always, made the derby a tough slog and were able to put on 22 points, but Parkes coach Brent Wood lamented about the continued inability of his side to capitalise more on their dominance.
"We were really strong defensively today, and I was happy with that, but we just kept turning the ball over and letting them back into the contest," he said after the game.
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Every time they went into their attacking 20 the Spacemen looked dangerous, but according to Wood the side will need to work hard at their completions; though he preferred to take a 'glass half-full' approach to the situation.
"That was our problem, all we had to do was complete our sets and tire them out but we just couldn't finish it off.
"We haven't been able to complete our sets all year, but if we can do that at the right time we will be really dangerous," said Wood.
Maguire made things interesting just after half-time when his powerful try closed to gap to just four points; but a hungry defensive effort from Parkes ensured they were not going to let the game slip.
The 38-22 score line was a just indication of the battle, with the extra layer of class from the Parkes spine proving to be the difference.
The loss means the Magpies will finish their 2021 season with a disappointing sixth place finish and a points differential of -206.
Parkes on the other hand will now travel to Wellington next Sunday on the back of two wins on the trot as they look to secure a double chance in this year's finals series.
FORBES MAGPIES 22 (Merritt, Martin, Maguire, N. Greenhalgh tries; N. Greenhalgh 3 goals) defeated by PARKES SPACEMEN 38 (C. Porter 3, Creith 2, Spathis, Dwyer tries; B. Hartwig 5 goals)
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