After having shared the honours in the last two Group XI rugby league grand finals, Parkes Spacemen will again meet Dubbo CYMS this Sunday as they chase their 10th First Grade premiership.
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The two Group XI powerhouses have dominated the competition in recent years and will likely provide another memorable contest at Caltex Park, Dubbo, again this year.
CYMS have had the upper hand in contests this season, wining twice and sharing the points on the other occasion the two sides met.
They are by no means unbeatable as the Spacemen showed when the two sides faced off in the major semi-final two weeks ago.
Played in Dubbo, the Spacemen went within three minutes of claiming the first spot in the grand final before a late CYMS try saw the hosts take the win 18-16.
Parkes captain-coach Dennis Moran believes his side have learned from their semi-final loss and has the game to win the title on Sunday.
“I think we proved what we are capable of in the first half last week against Wellington,” Moran said.
“Unfortunately we did not maintain that in the second half which invited the Cowboys back into the contest.
“This competition is too strong to gift sides opportunities and that is something we will need to make sure we do not do on Sunday.
“We can not give CYMS any easy opportunities.
“They are a strong side who will punish any mistakes we make.
“They showed that when we went to sleep in the final minutes of the major semi-final two weeks ago.
“We were leading and took our foot off the pedal a bit.
“That allowed them to score and snatch the win.
“It is something we are definitely aware of.
“We will need to play the full 80 minutes.
“If we hold possession, execute and defend like we did for the first 40 minutes last week, we will be very hard to beat.
“We have a great mix of youth and experience with the younger guys learning more each week.
“Sunday’s game will be won by the best 17 players, not just the 13 on the field,” he said.
Parkes Spacemen meet Dubbo CYMS in the Group XI grand final from 2.30pm this Sunday at Caltex Park in Dubbo.