That is the message being sent out by the Parkes Spacemen just six weeks out from the Tooheys Group 11 competition.

The Spacemen are battling a player shortage and in a desperate bid to field a team have applied to the Australian Rugby League (ARL) to bring four Fijians to the club.

It is reported that a group of Parkes players have decided to join Trundle in the Mid-West League and that combined with the club being inactive in the player market has led to the Spacemen being in their current situation.

Group 11 president Jock Colley, a life member of the club, said Parkes’ situation is devastating in the wake of Cabonne’s decision to withdraw from the competition.

“This is the last thing we need at the moment,” Colley said.

“The club has told us (the Group 11 committee) they will be okay and they have made moves to get the Fijians to join them but it really shouldn’t have got to this stage.

“Hopefully things will improve because they are a great club and they have a great crop of juniors at the moment. They just need to be more pro-active when it comes to signing players.”

Rugby league legend Ken Arthurson will be in Parkes next month to present the local rugby league organisation with a plaque commemorating the centenary of the sport.

Colley said it would be tragic if Arthurson arrived to news the club had been forced to fold.

“It sounds impossible that Parkes would fold and hopefully that isn’t going to be the case,” Colley said.

“The town has hosted numerous NRL trials and even a Test match over the years and rugby league has always been very strong.

“The centenary of rugby league is something we have all been keen on celebrating so its a shame that has been overshadowed somewhat by Cabonne pulling out of our competition and now Parkes struggling.”