Jarryn Powyer made numerous changes to his side early in the Group 11 season but a more settled lineup and confidence in the Dubbo CYMS playmakers proved key on Sunday.
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The clash between the Fishies and Parkes Spacemen at Apex Oval was a classic game of two halves, with the visitors' poor first 40 allowing CYMS to skip out to a 22-6 lead at the break before things changed completely in the second stanza.
The Spacemen came roaring back into the contest while CYMS dropped off, allowing Parkes to take a two-point lead with 15 minutes to go.
But tries to Powyer and his fellow prop Ben Marlin proved key late on as the Fishies sealed a 44-34 victory.
Powyer's all-important try, his second of the game, came off a lovely short ball from five-eighth Alex Bonham and the captain-coach said the performances of he and halfback Harry Kempston were key to keeping the side's unbeaten run going.
"We're really confident in our six and seven," he said.
"We knew if we could get up there and get in the right spots a play would come and that's what happened.
"At the start of the year we were a bit shaky and there was a bit of stress in those situations.
"Defence is the thing we need to work on, which is a bit disappointing."
Defence was no issue in the first half, as CYMS got out to a 16-0 lead inside half an hour after tries to Bonham, Hamish Astill, and Corey Drew.
Parkes hit back against the run of play through Jordan Pope but another CYMS four-pointer from Alex Ronayne, the second-rower going through a yawning gap untouched, had the hosts in complete control at the break.
CYMS' Byron Warren and Parkes' Benji John both spent time in the bin for swearing early in the second stanza as the sides traded tries, before the Spacemen hooker returned to the field and took over the game.
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While Powyer spent time on the bench his side struggled and despite him scoring shortly after coming off the pine the momentum was all with Parkes.
A slick shift to the left saw winger Jacob Smede score and when a brilliant John chip from dummyhalf resulted in a try for Brandon Paige, Chad Porter's ice-cool conversion put the Spacemen up 28-26.
But CYMS remained calm and barnstorming efforts from Powyer and Marlin got the hosts in command, before late tries were traded in the 10-point win for the hosts.
"The first 40 was really good and I was very, very happy," Powyer said.
"The second 40, I probably take some of that on myself. Some of the changes I made, I should have been out there to keep that talk up. That's what died off, just that enthusiasm and against a side like Parkes, you know they're going to be there the 80 minutes."
While Parkes didn't take home the points the match was more proof the Spacemen are the real deal this season and a side capable of going the distance.
Captain Porter said it's simply a case of moving on from what was a disappointing and costly first half effort.
"The first half was terrible for us," he said.
"The second half was better but we've got a lot of improvement in us. We were unlucky to lose that.
"We'll take heaps out of it. There's a lot of negatives but there's a heap of positives too.
"We'll just try and forget that first half and build off the second half."
Pwyer added his side was now relishing the test of heading to Nyngan next weekend.
After the numerous changes in combinations early in the season the captain-coach has now settled on a lineup, with only Corey Cox and the suspended Brad Pickering to return.
The Tigers and Parkes are two of four sides locked on six points, two behind the unbeaten Fishies.