The Magpies take on Orange Hawks in Round 8 at home this weekend. League tag will be at 10.30am, Under 18s 11.30am, Re­serve Grade 12.40pm and First Grade 2pm.

If you’re not doing anything Sunday head on over to Spooners Oval for a great day out.

On the June long-weekend, a lucky group of Parkes Marist Juniors were thrilled to be invited to a Coaching Clinic with former Parkes local, and current South Sydney Rabbitohs player Ben Lovett.

The Coaching Clinic was run for the PM­JRL U10, U8 and U7 players. PMJRL U10s Coach Jason O’Bryan said: “The kids were pumped when they were offered the oppor­tunity, it’s been a really great experience. To see a local guy who has made it in the NRL come back and offer his time is a credit to Ben and to Souths for wanting to do it.”

There was definitely a buzz around town once the kids found out Ben would be in Parkes to run a clinic. “My dad owns Sport­spower in town, and he said kids were com­ing in saying ‘Ben’s coming Monday to do a training clinic’. It was so great to hear that, and it just made me even more excited to come back,” said Ben.

Ben has been very busy of late, recently returning from Papua New Guinea. Know­ing he would be heading home to Parkes on the long-weekend, Ben approached the Parkes Senior League Club who put him in contact with the PMJRL to help facilitate the Clinic.

Ben said, “I wanted to do something for the local community, and get out here with the kids back where it all started for me. I was here in Parkes 10 years ago, running around the same as these kids here.”

“I still feel like I have a long way to go with my footy career, so for these kids to look up to me is massive. To be able to give back to them and hopefully inspire their dreams, to think that they can do what I have done, and hopefully they can have goals and as­pirations to do the same thing.”

Ben was joined by fellow NRL players Haizyn Mellars and Harrison Ledbetter.

Haizyn is a South Sydney Rabbitohs team mate of Ben’s, who plays winger/centre, and Harrrison played with the Canberra Raiders for a number of years, and is cur­rently playing for the Belconnen Sharks in the Canberra competition.

When Ben asked Haizyn if he would like to head back to Parkes with him and see his home town, he was more than happy to tag along, saying, “It’s great to come hang with the kids and play a little footy.”

At the end of the clinic, the NRL players handed out Rabbitoh’s merchanise and were very obliging, signing the kids head­gear, boots and shirts, and taking photos with anyone who asked.

The 2024 Penrith Panthers Western CUB’s Skill Development was held in Forbes on Monday the 15th of April. It was open to all eligible tackle players who wanted to improve and learn more rugby league skills which was run by Penrith Panthers Pathway coaches as well as local coaching staff.

We spoke to Sam Jones who is the Penrith Panthers Development Manager, he went on to speak very passionately about why the clinic has become so important, “Over 10 years ago we started with a Bathurst clinic for one night, it built on from there to multiple nights, and then around three years ago we added the other two regional centers which are Dubbo and Forbes.

“In the April school holidays we do the round trip across the three centras running clinics for 14-15 boys and 14-16 girls. The clinics are open to anyone registered to a junior club who lives in Bathurst, Dubbo, Forbes or the surrounding areas.It’s not so much a holiday clinic, it’s an elite football, Rugby League clinic with all the skills and drills and even shirts provided. The clinic has been a few years in the making now and it’s great to see it expanding.

“Registrations this year were good compared to last year, especially the girls which is great as it is a growing space. It’s always good to get out in these areas, we’ve got plenty down our junior systems from the west making a name for themselves in the next 5-6 years, and there will be more and more coming, it;s a big part of why we come up here but the other reason is to make sure the junior league and the players are thriving and giving them as many tools and resources as we can, all of the gear that we bring along to the clinics stays with the local clubs everywhere we go.

“It’s very simple to send programs to areas, but having a presence and exposure, thats what the people want and it’s what the kids want and it;s what we love to do.”