Brian Collins Smash Repairs/Agriwest U16s have powered into their third grand final appearance in a row with a dominant 48-12 win over a tough West Wyalong side.
A big month has seen this very talented side secure another grand final spot, win the inaugural Trevor Ross memorial trophy, and grab the minor premiership with a very impressive for and against differential of 374 points.
The qualifying semi final against West Wyalong was a very physical affair, with the first 15 minutes the toughest Parkes has encountered this season. The Spacemen had to defend five of the first six sets on their own try line, with the very big West Wyalong pack proving a handful. Half back Nicholas Cooper caused Parkes problems all night with his dangerous running game. Prop Flynn Bryant was also very strong in attack and bruising in defence.
But after withstanding the initial onslaught, the Spacemen kicked into gear. Prop Slade Moore and left edge second rower Tomas Scally began to punch holes in the defence and our left side attack ran riot. Five eight Ewan Moody and fullback Triston Ross opened up the West Wyalong with quick hands and some beautiful selective passing.
Left centre Sonny Macgregor and left winger Oakley Fliedner have really hit their straps this past month and scored five first half tries between them. The slick hands and timing were very impressive.
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Our right side was once again rock solid and shut down every West Wyalong attacking raid and rolled us down field with some very strong runs.
Dummy half Lachlan Thomas and half back Taj Lovett began to pick the opposition defence to pieces with some smart runs and very nice short passes around the ruck.
West Wyalong, to their credit, refused to throw in the towel and made Parkes work hard for every metre. They were running and tackling as hard in the last five minutes as they were at the star of the game, despite the scoreline. Two late tries were well deserved and made the final score 48-12.
Grand Final this Saturday is a local derby vs the Forbes Magpies at Red Bend. The Spacemen have had two very big wins over Forbes this season, but that will count for little this week. The Magpies have some very dangerous players who must be respected, but Parkes have been the benchmark side for the past few years.
Rugby convert Ewan Moody has been outstanding this season and his combination with Roosters bound Triston Ross has made our left edge attack even more potent.
Our forwards have been led by front rower Slade Moore, who has had an excellent season. Second rowers Tomas Scally and captain Ryan Cox provide some real fear factor with their strong defence and powerful running game.
Riley Cronin, Bill Mahon, Cody Newman and Harry Turner are our unsung heroes, tough and tenacious in defence and always willing to take a "dirty run" to help their team out. Dummy half Lachlan Thomas and half back Taj Lovett are the best in their positions in the competition. How they keep getting overlooked for representative honours is a mystery, but we know how important they are to our success.
Our interchange is rock solid, and we lose nothing when we make our changes.
This a special group of young men, and win, lose or draw, the club is proud of them.
The mighty Spacemen have five teams playing in grand finals on Saturday. Please make the trip over and support us.
A huge thank you to coach Jason O’Bryan and trainers Luke Fliedner and Ollie Thomas for all your help with the boys this season.
Also, a massive thank you to the parents for volunteering in the canteen at home games, sitting at the table during the game, crowd control, FAO and for supporting the kids each week while they play.
