New captain-coach Alex Prout anointed the club’s long-time winger Brandon Paige as Dwyer’s successor in the fullback role, but they’re massive boots to fill.

A Group 11 and Western Division representative, Dwyer sparked a lot of the Spacies attack and, alongside departing coach Dennis Moran, leaves a giant hole in Parkes’ line-up for this season.

Prout is remaining positive though after the new-look Spacies dipped to a loss to rivals Forbes but bounced back to account for Westside in the pre-season trials.

“It’s positive, we’ve got a bit to work on ahead of round one and throughout the year but it’s a good start to the year,” he said ahead of the Raiders clash on the club’s Spacemen Chat.

“We lost Sammy at the end of last year and there’s been a couple of blokes pushing for it but Brandon Paige is going to start there.

“He’s been working hard and he’s built up a bit and he’s the fittest at the club, I look forward to giving him that opportunity and it’s up to him whether he wants to take it and cement that spot throughout the year.”

In a twist of fate in the Group 11 draw, the match presents Macquarie with a first-up opportunity to knock off a Parkes side that eliminated the Raiders from the 2017 finals race.

Played at Parkes as well, the Spacies hung on under lights to claim a thrilling 16-10 victory over the Dubbo club in last year’s elimination semi-final.

Sunday’s season opener is the beginning of a two-game home stand for Prout and the Spacies as the new captain-coach looks to kick off his term in charge on a positive note.

Sunday’s round kicks off with the Spacecats and the Raidettes from 11am.