Orange CYMS defeat Parkes Spacemen 32-16 in Peter McDonald Premiership eliminator

Scramble defence, support play and solid kick chases were all key areas in their 32-16 win over Parkes Spacemen at Wade Park in week two of the Peter McDonald Premiership's semi-finals.

With 16 minutes remaining, down 20-16, Parkes were still in with a chance but the CYMS juggernaut kicked into gear late to run home with a strong win.

The dominant finish from CYMS was a stark contrast from their 32-30 win over Parkes earlier in the season where the Spacemen almost pulled off a spirited comeback.

For captain-coach Daniel Mortimer, the final 10 minutes was the most pleasing aspect.

"It went the other way last time, we invited them back into it, so it was really nice to put our stamp on the game at the end there," he said.

Throughout the first half, neither side was able to take the game by the scruff of the neck, with the score 10-10 at half-time.

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Cooper Monk and Ethan Bereyne were the two try-scorers for CYMS while Sam Dwyer and Timoci Dabea crossed for the away side.

Parkes could've been leading at half-time thanks to a break by Chad Porter but CYMS fullback Nick Murphy was there to pick up the crumbs in the in-goal.

A standing ovation from the Parkes crowd at half-time reflected how much away support they had on their side.

In the 56^th minute, CYMS would be first to cross after the break with Marcel Ikinofo crashing over close to the line to make it 14-10.

Three minutes later, a break by Ikinofo saw Liam Wilson pushing up in support with the winger brought down 40 metres out from Parkes' line.

With no fullback at home, Mortimer took full advantage kicking ahead with the perfect bounce landing in the hands of a leaping Murphy who popped the ball back to his skipper as CYMS went ahead 20-10.

Parkes weren't done though with Eroni Turagata barging over from hooker to put his side in striking distance.

A break would come from Dabea in the 68^th minute, with his pass to support, 20 metres from the try-line, batted down by CYMS prop Ethan McKellar. The ball was still alive though and thrown to the left, before pressure from CYMS' defence forced a knock-on.

The home team then went end to end with a short ball from Mortimer putting Bereyne over for his second at 26-16.

A beautiful play out the back of shape from CYMS with six minutes to go put Monk over in the corner for his double to seal victory at 30-16.

A final penalty in the 78^th minute allowed Pat Williams to knock over the two points and end the game at 32-18.

The blow out in the final ten minutes probably didn't reflect the tightness of the game and Parkes coach Jack Creith put it down to CYMS simply being the better side.

"I thought if we were in the contest up until half-time we'd be hard to beat," he said.

"That was our goal to be in it or just in front, I thought our second halves have been getting better every week but unfortunately today the effort was there in the second half but they were just really sharp."

With CYMS stopping a number of line breaks turning into tries, Mortimer agreed his side's scramble in defence was one of the keys.

"There was a couple of massive efforts from the boys chasing back breaks and we put bodies around the ball and the ball fell to us so it was really rewarding. That's the kind of footy you want to be playing this time of the year," he said.

"Ethan McKellar, who played 80 (minutes) in the middle, made some massive efforts chasing back, Murph (Nick Murphy) did a great job, there were a few players that went over and above to deliver that win and that's why we get to live another week."

Second-rower Alex McMillan was also one of the standouts for CYMS, finding holes in the defence of Parkes on many occasions with the captain-coach delighted by his contribution.

"I've known Alex for a long time, he's been an awesome influence on the boys," Mortimer said.

"He's an older head and just a smart footy player, we seem to have the right balance of young energy and some old heads that understand the game."

One of those younger players that stood out for CYMS was winger Cooper Monk, who made his return to the first grade side due to the unavailability of Jordan Clarke and his performance has created a welcome headache at the selection table.

"He's been chomping at the bit to get another crack and with Jordan away he got his crack so we'll have to have a look at that," Mortimer added.

"I thought Coops did a great job coming back in today."

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