The Spacemen head to Dubbo on Saturday to take on minor premiers CYMS in the Group 11 major semi-final, the winner securing the first grand final berth and a week off.

Parkes earned their spot in the major semi-final with a 26-18 victory over Wellington last Sunday while CYMS will be fresh from a week off.

The Spacemen were not at their best last week, just doing enough to get the win.

It is something Moran believes will not be enough on Saturday, with CYMS likely to provide a much sterner test than the Cowboys.

"Overall I wasn't too displeased with last Sunday's effort," Moran said.

"There are some small things we need to improve upon, but they are not major issues.

"We know we need to improve our ball handling and minimising our errors.

"We were probably a bit too flat in attack as well and will need to be a bit deeper tomorrow. CYMS are a good side who do not give anything away."

Parkes have named halfback Alex Prout in their team, despite the playmaker being taken to hospital with a concussion out of last week's game.

Prout's presence will no doubt take some of the pressure off Moran, who said ball control would be the key to beating the Fishies.

"We will need to be just as miserly with giving away possession," he said.

"If we get these little things right it will go a long way to getting the win.

"Defensively I could not be happier. We are not far away from our best."

The Spacemen had a light training run on Tuesday and a full session on Thursday night, and Moran was happy with his side's attitude.

"The boys are confident and keen to get out there," he said.

"When the attitude is right, we just need to stick to our game plan.

"We will do everything to make sure we are 100 per cent focused on our jobs. We will be back to full strength for the match, which is great for this time of year.

"If we play the way we know we can, we will go very close."