Parkes Spacemen will be trying to keep their feet firmly on the ground after their emphatic 76-16 victory over Cobar Roosters last Saturday in the first round of the Group XI competition.
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Pundits should receive a better indication of how strong the Spacemen are when they travel to Kennard Oval to take on last season’s semi-finalists Wellington Cowboys.
The Cowboys will be a much sterner test than a rusty Cobar proved to be after they secured a hard fought victory over fellow top five contenders Nyngan 36-24.
Well known for their flair in attack, Wellington will likely be a handful for the Parkes defence.
“The Cowboys are always very unpredictable,” Spacemen captain-coach Dennis Moran said.
“They didn’t trial so we don’t know a whole lot about them.
“We will focus on our game and getting it to the level it needs to be at.
“The first half against Cobar was not what we wanted.
“We allowed them to stay in the game and against some other teams that will hurt us,” he said.
As much as the first half was not at the level the Spacemen wanted, the second half
Running rampant in the second 40 minutes the Spacemen piled on 60 points to the Roosters six and showed why they are one of the title favourites this season.
Moran believes the turnaround was due mainly to one factor. - communication,
“When we communicate well we get a roll on and, as you can see with last weekend’s second half, we are hard to keep out,” Moran said.
“If we hold the ball and dominate the ruck we are on top.
“Attitude at the club is fantastic and that will only help us.
“It is that kind of attitude which saw a large group of players selected for Group XI.
“They should all be congratulated,” he said.
While the Spacemen will be made to work hard in defence, if they click in attack as they did in the second half against the Roosters, it could see an epic shootout.
