Parkes Spacemen

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.

Nickname

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.^[1] 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.

Media attention

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 wth 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. ^[1][2]

Local media closely followed the 2008 Rugby League World Cup progress of the Fijian National team and its Spacemen,^[3][3][4] culminating in their loss to Australia in the second semi-final.^[5] By this time national and international^[6] media had picked up the story.^[1][2]

References