Wade Park delivers once again as Cowboys aim up after emotional few weeks

After Sunday's win against Panthers, the Spacies finished their time on the road in style.

Captain-coach Chad Porter was quite brutal in his assessment of his side after their loss against Dubbo CYMS on June 23.

Should Porter's men put together a string of strong performances, expect them to score plenty of points.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record it's time to talk about Wade Park again.

The heavens opened up overnight and as a result the infamous mud bowl made its second appearance of the year.

CYMS president Cam Jones even made a crack on the scoreboard, welcoming visitors to a "lovely summer's day".

Wellington didn't seem to mind, avoiding the middle of the field only encouraged their knack for playing wide, open footy.

Undoubtedly one of the more interesting sights was CYMS unit Marcel Ikonofo sliding about five metres in the mud as he went low for a tackle around the legs of his opponent.

The theoretical sports stadium cannot come soon enough.

It's been an emotional few weeks for the Wellington footy club and community so Sunday's statement win over Orange CYMS provided a huge boost.

Cowboys player and former representative junior Graham Peckham died on June 10 at just 26 and his funeral was held on Friday.

Those who attended were invited to wear Cowboys colours.

Also, last weekend at home the Cowboys and Macquarie Raiders took a #KneeForAckers to honour the memory of James Ackerman, who died as a result of a tackle while playing for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in 2015.

Ackerman was from Wellington and played junior footy St John's at Dubbo before moving to Queensland with his family at 11.

On the field, the Cowboys had been hit by suspensions and injuries lately but Sunday's win at Wade Park was a timely reminder of their quality ahead of next weekend's general bye for the Group 11 clubs.

You never know who you'll see at the footy.

In this case it wasn't a shock to see Robbie Mortimer in the crowd - country music star and brother of CYMS halfback Dan.

Robbie was also a pretty handy footballer back in the day and while we don't think a comeback is on the cards, boy he'd be good for a rev up if his live performances are anything to go by.

Macquarie were strong against Orange Hawks in their win on the club's first Ladies Day but they could have had a familiar face on the field.

Club junior Blake Merritt was spotted sitting on the sideline enjoying a few beers with mates before telling us post-game that he has moved back to Dubbo permanently after spending time at the Canterbury Bulldogs.

Should he have returned weeks ago, the playmaker could have signed for Macquarie before the June 30 deadline but instead will take the rest of the year off from rugby league.

With still months of the 2024 season left, you can bet Merritt will be featuring somewhere in the PMP next year.

PMP round 10

Macquarie Raiders 32 defeated Orange Hawks 10

Parkes Spacemen 46 defeated Bathurst Panthers 12

Bathurst St Pat's 34 defeated Nyngan Tigers 10

Wellington Cowboys 30 defeated Orange CYMS 20

Dubbo CYMS 36 defeated Lithgow Workies Wolves 20

Mudgee Dragons 22 defeated Forbes Magpies 16