Forbes Magpies took the two points on Derby Day with a 22-18 win over Parkes Spacemen. Image credit: Parkes Spacemen Facebook page.
The biggest day on our local rugby league calendar is the June long weekend Parkes versus Forbes Derby Day, which has become a long standing tradition between the twin towns.
A massive crowd flocked to Pioneer Oval in Parkes on Sunday 7th June, to witness the clash between Parkes Spacemen and Forbes Magpies.
Parkes started the day strong, and were off to a thrilling start, taking out the League Tag 10-4, 18s 20-18 and Reserves 20-16, but it was Forbes who were victorious in the first grade battle, winning 22-18.
Forbes Magpies Coach Cameron Greenhalgh said, “We haven’t beaten Parkes on Derby Day since 2018, it was good to get the win over there. We let a substantial first half lead slip away, it was 22-4 at half time and they came back to 22-18, but we hung on and got the two points.”
Each year, a massive Forbes crowd travels across to Parkes to support the team, and always get the players pumped up.
Parkes Spacemen President Tony Dwyer said, “This particular round between Parkes and Forbes is known as one of the best local derbies in country rugby league.
It’s great to see Forbes enjoy it as much as us, you see how many people it brings over and how pumped up they get for it, they just love beating us over here.”