He may not have been in town long but Will Wardle already knows plenty of the rivalry between Parkes and Forbes.
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Wardle will line up for Parkes on Sunday in his first derby against Forbes with the two sides to play their annual June long weekend fixture.
The annual clash is one of the biggest matches of the year and Sunday's match at Pioneer Oval will be the first between the two sides as part of the Peter McDonald Premiership.
Having only arrived at Parkes this season, Wardle already knows how big Sunday's game will be against his club's biggest rivals.
"They are talking it up pretty high, I'm looking forward to it," he said.
"I've got some family and mates coming up from Sydney so it should be good."
There is no doubt both Parkes and Forbes had this game circled on the calendar as soon as the draw was released with Wardle saying the Spacemen had been talking up the game.
"Bloody oath (they are keen), the boys can't stop talking about it," he said.
"They can't wait."
Parkes have started to hit their straps of late, winning their past three matches to have them sitting third currently in the Group 11 pool of the competition.
While he is yet to see Forbes play, Wardle is confident Parkes will have too much firepower come Sunday.
"We're three on the trot and it will be four on Sunday," he said.
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Parkes will once again be without their captain-coach Jack Creith this weekend as he recovers from injury but Wardle is confident his side will have enough depth to continue their strong form.
"Joey Dwyer has slipped into five-eighth and he is killing it too," he said.
"Since I've been here I've known how good the team is, it's just we've had a few injuries.
"Both the Porter boys are guns, I knew we had it but now it's starting to show over the last four weeks."
While he might not be playing, Creith is also full of confidence about Parkes' chances against Forbes.
"Not much has changed, we're sticking with it, knowing the results will come and that's certainly coming to fruition," Creith said.
"Our combinations are starting to come together.
"Forbes has had a good start to the year, they got a couple of good early wins, but I still say our side is the one to beat," he said.
"It'll be a good game."
A former NSW Country representative, Wardle is in his debut season with Parkes and admitted he has enjoyed his time in the town so far.
"I love it, I absolutely love it, I've only been here six months," he said.
"I can't thank the boys enough, the president Tony Dwyer, everyone there has welcomed me like I've been there for years."
Sunday's match will also bring Wardle up against fellow NSW Country representative Mitch Andrews who will play fullback for Forbes.
Now having completed eight rounds this season, Wardle believes the competition to be a strong one after recently playing in Sydney before moving west.
"It seems pretty competitive, obviously the boys tell me about Dubbo CYMS, they are the big dogs and they were,"
"They towelled us up pretty easily, the competition is good, it seems pretty fair.
"It's a pretty strong competition."
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