Former CSU first grade players Connors (head coach) and Chamberlain (assistant coach) come into the role on the back of a poor, injury-plagued season for the university squad, who finished the 2023 season with a solitary win.

Make no mistake, a major goal for Connors and Chamberlain is to get the first grade team back into the finals series this season, but they're determined to begin laying the platform for success to continue flowing in the years to come.

"We just want to get the foundations right up at the club and build them up for a couple of big years ahead," Connors said.

"It's certainly not a 12 month plan for Sam and I. We're in for the long haul to try and bring the club back to where it was."

The sentiment at CSU is that the only way is up.

Their only win in 2023 came on Old Boys Day in May with a two-point win over the Dubbo Rhinos.

Outside of that it was a tough season of union for the team, one riddled with injuries across both first and second grade.

Since the club's premiership season in 2019 it's been rough going.

"In 2021 we had the club in a really good position before things began to go downhill," Chamberlain said.

"That's something that can just happen sometimes. We lost a lot of experience players as well, so we're in a rebuilding phase at the moment.

"The plan for me and Jimmy is to not try and turn things around in one season, but the goal is still to make finals.

"When we knocked heads together we agreed that it was going to be a long term thing. We want to recruit heavily and create a substantial club that sticks around for years to come," Connors added.

"A lot of people locally don't recognise that the uni club is quite inclusive for locals as well, so we're really trying to motivate people to join an up-and-coming club and be a part of the rebuild."

The school mates are looking forward to working alongside one another, and as players who have enjoyed the feeling of success with CSU they want today's team to find out what a winning culture feels like.

"I told them I was keen but I work away so I couldn't take on the head coach role. Then Joe [Fajloun, president] told me he was going to offer Jimmy the head coach role, so I said I was happy to take the assistant coach role," Chamberlain said.

"It's great having that connection with Sam from back at school. We're keen to get back together and have some fun with the team up there," Connors said.

Coaches for second grade will be Bill McDonnell and Oliver Hamilton while the women's squad will be coached by Luke Parker and Joey Cant.