THE Parkes Spacemen will have one of the best rugby league minds in Group 11 at the helm next season after Dennis Moran was announced as the club's new first grade captain-coach.
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Moran has been with the Spacemen since 2009 but has never had the chance to lead his team until now, with Pat Rosser's move to the Cudgeon Hornets opening the position up.
The classy half will lead a team which won the Group 11 title in 2013 before just falling short this year and he said he and new under-18s coach Alex Prout want to build on that recent success.
"I am very excited and realise what a great opportunity I have," he said.
"I have wanted to coach this team for a very long time but had to bide my time.
"We have a great committee who are very professional and I am sure they will guide the club well.
"I hope to continue the development of our great players here."
It has now been revealed that Moran rejected a captain-coach offer from the Forbes Magpies in the lead up to last season but Parkes Rugby League committee member Craig Dumesny said the representative star wouldn't leave after falling in love with the club over the past six years.
"He's like a boy in a lolly shop, I can say now that he refused a pretty lucrative offer from Forbes last season with the hope that this would happen and I would have been disappointed if he'd gone," he said.
"His passion is here at Parkes and he said at the negotiation meeting on Wednesday that he doesn't want to go anywhere, this is where his wife and kids want to be."
Moran, who played 36 matches in the NRL with Parramatta before spending eight years in England's Super League, is the current coach of the Western Rams and his experience will prove invaluable for some of the younger Spacemen, according Dumesny.
"They all look up to him and everyone is excited, there was a bit of a concern that some young guys might move elsewhere but it looks like they're all going to stay now," he said.
"There's going to be a real local approach to things this year, Dennis and Alex (Prout) are going to give guys the opportunity and the chance to prove their ability because at times in the past there was a bit of criticism that wasn't happening."
While there will be a keen focus on local development, Dumesny said the Spacies will be keeping one eye on the market after Rosser and the versatile Todd Barrow departed the club.
With a huge increase in numbers at meetings and Moran's appointment providing plenty of excitement in Parkes, Dumesny said the future is looking bright for the Spacemen.
"There's a huge amount of enthusiasm, it's really refreshing," he said.
