NORTH Wagga ruckman Matt Parks admits the prospect of his first trip back to Langtry Oval on Saturday is a little bit 'daunting'.
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Parks is a two-time premiership player at Marrar but returned from a break from football at North Wagga this season.
The 23-year-old has started to make his presence felt too, earning high praise from coach Cayden Winter for his influential role in last Saturday's big win over Northern Jets.
Parks has already faced Marrar once this season, when the Bombers came from 41 points down to win by 20, and admits the prospect of taking on his old club again has him feeling slightly uneasy.
"It was a bit scary (last time), it's pretty daunting but I guess there's a lot of good boys out there and before and after the game, it was good to catch up with a few of them again and have chats with them but we'll see if we can put one against them this week," Parks said.
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Parks was the back-up ruckman to Nick Molkentin during his two years at Marrar.
It will be a case of the apprentice taking on the master when they go head-to-head on Saturday.
"He's a bloody tough man, Molky," Parks said.
"He's probably one of the hardest-hitting ruckmen in the league. He's got really good form.
"I guess he knows a lot about me, I know a lot about him but it will be another tough hit-out."
Having part-time rucked up until this season, Parks is enjoying being the main man at North Wagga.
"It was good with Molky to have a spell but it is good (being the number one ruckman)," he said.
"I suppose I'm starting to pick up my fitness a bit, I didn't have the biggest pre-season that I would have liked to but the whole team is starting to really gel together well and learn how each other play. It's really good."
Parks comes into the game in the right form, getting the better of Northern Jets ruckman Lachie Jones in the Saints' win last Saturday.
"Lachie Jones, I put him down as one of the best ruckmen in the league, he's not only good in the centre but he's good around the ground," he said.
"His ruck work is really good but yeah we had a blinder last week and put them to the sword.
"I've got room to improve in a lot of places but my ruck work is up there at the moment. It's going really well and all the boys around me are adapting to it.
"We definitely are winning it against sides out of the centre at the moment, it's been good."
North Wagga started the year slowly but come into the big game against Marrar as arguably the form team of the competition.
The Saints beat Barellan by 43 points and then backed it up by belting Northern Jets by 58 points last Saturday.
"I don't think there's been a lot of change, I think it's been more to the point of the team's starting to work together really well and knowing how each other's starting to play and reading each other really well," he said.
"Wiz (Cayden Winter) has set in a few very good game structures, putting in new things in place and the talk's unreal with us at the moment which has been really good."
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