They've played alongside State of Origin stars and Australian representatives and it's now hoped two French imports can help the Parkes Spacemen achieve their Peter McDonald Premiership dream.
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Arnaud Hack and Eddy Perramond arrived at Parkes earlier this season and the pair were handed their first grade debuts on Sunday, June 30 at Bathurst.
The two forwards played their part as the Spacemen produced one of their best performances of the season and crushed Panthers 46-12 to move into second spot on the ladder.
"They were good for us," Parkes captain-coach Chad Porter said.
"They had a couple of games in reggies (reserve grade) and I thought it was time to give them a bit of a crack.
"They're solid in defence and both played well. It's good to have a bit of depth ... it's handy for us."
Hack and Perramond both came to Australia after playing for FC Lezignan in the French Elite One Championship. It's the same club former NRL stars James Maloney, Corey Norman and James Segeyaro all played for in 2023.
![Eddy Perramond and Arnaud Hack made their first grade debut for Parkes at Bathurst. Picture supplied Eddy Perramond and Arnaud Hack made their first grade debut for Parkes at Bathurst. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/dCXpDgwTEgA52iNCe5aWtJ/83cb1fcd-7670-4330-ac46-d84b570e5f87.jpeg/r259_410_1966_1366_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
It's also where Takitau Mapapalangi moved to from Parkes this year after starring for the Spacemen in 2023, and that's where the relationship between the two clubs developed.
Speaking to French outlet L'Independant earlier this year before making the move to Australia, Perramond said it was a mixture feelings.
"It can only be beneficial," he said in an article translated to English.
"I'm going there with a lot of curiosity, excitement and desire. Well, with a bit of stage fright too, I can't hide it ... but I'm going to put that feeling aside."
The pair will return FC Lezignan later this year, but for now they look set to play a key role for their new team.
Hack and Perramond - a prop and lock or hooker respectively - both came off the bench at Carrington Park on Sunday and ensured the Spacemen never dropped off after racing out to a 26-6 lead early on.
"They would have had a decent team there and they've played with some ex-NRL fellas," Porter said of the pair.
"I reckon they'll tighten the middle up for us. They're solid in defence and good at wrestling so I think they're going to help us."
Given the final score and the impact of the new signings, Porter was a satisfied man post-game.
After losses to Forbes and Dubbo CYMS and an unconvincing win at Lithgow in recent weeks, the performance against Panthers was the type the captain-coach had been searching for.
Porter played a huge role in the victory as it was his stern words after last weekend's loss to Dubbo CYMS and again at training last Friday which spurred the players into action, while he also scored a hat-trick from halfback.
Fullback Sam Dywer also scored three tries while wingers Malakai Folau and Jacob Smede impressed and finished with a try each.
"We spoke as a group (after training) about our effort areas and they just weren't up to scratch and discipline had been terrible," Porter said.
"We had to turn it around, and we did that."
The big challenge for the side now, according to Porter, is to maintain that standard moving forward.
The weekend's win moved the Spacemen into second spot behind Mudgee heading into their bye this coming weekend.
"It's good to be sitting where we are leading into the bye," Porter said.
"We didn't really cop too many injuries either so I'm pretty happy with it."