Dubbo CYMS' preliminary final against Parkes on Father's Day

"We often joke we've got a little crew who used to hit up the Pastoral (Hotel) on Friday night after training and now we catch up on a Sunday morning for coffee," prop and father of two Jarryn Powyer laughs.

"The crew hasn't changed but it's just the activity. We're still getting around each other but it's special seeing all the families around."

CYMS takes on the Parkes Spacemen in a Peter McDonald Premiership preliminary final at Apex Oval on Sunday and that in itself is a big occasion. That fact Sunday is also Father's Day certainly adds to it.

A large chunk of the 17 players who run out for CYMS on Sunday are fathers and, interestingly, fathers to sons who will no doubt be eager to follow in their dads' footsteps.

"It's the next generation of fish, really," centre Jyie Chapman, a father to boys Beckham, Maddix and Jagger, added.

"There's so many of them ... I love going to watch them on the weekends and when they're in the green and white we'll be there too."

The majority of the 17 players named to play for CYMS have sons.

As well as Chapman's three and Powyer's pair, Alex Bonham and James Stanley each have two boys while Ratu Roko, Jeremy Thurston, Tom Hughes, Claude Gordon, Billy Sing, Jayden Merritt, Louis Murphy and the currently suspended Chanse Burgess are also have sons of their own.

Bonham, Gordon and Burgess are among those who also have a daughter each but they remain firmly in the minority.

First grade coach Shawn Townsend also has three teenage sons just to add to the number.

"Off the top of my head there's six kids under two in our team now, which is amazing," Powyer said.

"Hopefully they all stick around and get to have a good run at footy like we did."

Chapman's son Maddix already plays junior footy alongside Bonham's son Alfie, which is special for a pair of teammates who have played with each other for more than a decade.

Given Chapman's sons are among the oldest of the current CYMS cohort, aged seven, six and two, they're much more invested in their footy and the representative outside back laughed it's not always a good thing.

"You're lacing them up on the weekend and then they're either running out the tee or wanting to run us out through the tunnel every week," Chapman said.

"It's pretty special to me and then they're in the sheds afterwards and they know the team song off the top of their head. Between that and the (Canterbury) Bulldogs song at the moment in my house, I'm pretty sick of it.

"But it's all really special and to watch them as they rise up through the ranks from the under 6s, I'm looking forward to it."

Powyer's boys Rowdie and Sonny are just two years and three weeks old respectively, meaning footy is still a little way away but the oldest was still keen to chase the Chapman boys as much as he could while preparing for the photo accompanying this story.

For the pair of dads, attention will soon turn to Sunday's match.

CYMS won the Group 11 minor premiership this season and earned a week off after defeating Orange Hawks in the opening week of the final.

A win over Parkes, who finished second in Group 11, on Sunday would secure passage through to a grand final against either Mudgee or Hawks.

"Sometimes you have a week off and you can be a bit off but judging by Wednesday night (at training) everyone is focused," Powyer said.

"There's a very clear task we want to achieve on the weekend and I've got no doubt we'll try and do that."

Parkes heads into Sunday having defeated Wellington 36-26 after a blistering start in last weekend's elimination final.

Given the attacking threats in the Parkes lineup - headlined by halfback Chad Porter, back-rower Will Wardle and fullback Sam Dwyer - the Fishies are all too aware their defence has to be up to the mark on Sunday.

"They've got some electric players ... everyone knows they're a dangerous team and we're one-and-one for the season so we're going into a tie-breaker and then it's off to the big dance for whoever wins it," Chapman added.

Sunday's match is scheduled to kick-off at 2.15pm at Apex Oval.

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