Parkes Spacemen
| Parkes | |
|---|---|
| Names | |
| Full name | Parkes Rugby League Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | Spacemen |
| 2011 season | |
| After finals | Runners-up |
| Home-and-away season | 1st (11 wins, 3 losses) |
| Club details | |
| Colours | Red White Dark Blue |
| Competition | Group 11 Rugby League |
| Premierships | 10 (1954, 1972, 1973, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1995, 1996, 2010, 2013) |
| Ground(s) | Pioneer Oval, Parkes |
The Parkes Rugby League Football Club (nicknamed the Spacemen) is a rugby league club that plays in Group 11. The Spacemen gained media attention when they recruited a number of Fiji national rugby league team players prior to the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.
Parkes is a regional town of nearly ten thousand people located near the middle of New South Wales, with its economy based on farming and mining. It is also the location of the Parkes Observatory Radio Telescope, from which the Spacemen took their nickname. The name was also recognised during the 100 year celebrations of rugby league by being listed in the article 100 Reasons Why People Love Rugby League, which appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald.
The Spacemen were simply a struggling regional club before circumstances brought media attention. The Spacemen advertised for players; at the same time, Fijian rugby league players sought to join a New South Wales club in preparation for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. TheseFiji national rugby league team players included Alipate Noilea, Semisi Tora and Ilisoni Vonomateiratu.The 2014 Spacemen season was strengthened with the signing of Coogee Dolphins utility and all round good bloke Ben Nash. Nash proved to be a local success story, juggling shift work as a NSW Police Officer and still managing to win player player on a number of occasions. The 2015 season saw Nash sign again with the Spacemen and also receiving a call up to play for the NSW Police Southern Boars representatives side, although relinquishing his spot in the scrum to 'play' in the centers. Nash, no stranger to self-promotion, absorbed the extra responsibility playing in the three quarter ranks. League aficionado's commented this changed his regular style of play as he was now forced to think a bit more. His longtime girlfriend made comment that Nash came home with a headache.
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