IT wasn't quite a case of third time lucky last season for Jack Keppel, but the CSU play maker feels that 2019 could very well be the year the students get to celebrate a premiership.
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Now in his fourth - and last - year at CSU, Keppel would love nothing more than to finish his time with the club by hoisting the New Holland Cup.
And given CSU is not only undefeated after four rounds but last Saturday downed a Narromine outfit that conquered all before it in 2018, it is a goal which is realistic.
"It's at the point now that everyone knows we are a legitimate chance to win the comp, but it's not going to come easy," Keppel said.
"We've got two really good coaches in Dave Conyers and Peter Cohen - they're not going to take over a team if they don't think they can win the comp.
"I think teams have a window and I think ours is now or next year. We've got to capitalise on the team we have at the moment and the depth we have through our second grade.
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"Most of our team has been there for two years, that's pretty good for a university side, and there's blokes that have been there for four years too. I think we've got as experienced a university side as you can get really.
"This is my last year here, so I'd really love to win the comp."
Last season after switching from the Blowes Clothing Cup to the new second-tier New Holland Cup competition, CSU did come close to an elusive premiership.
They went as far as the preliminary final and even then the students took it to the second period of extra time before bowing out.
The team CSU lost to was Parkes and that is the side they face this Saturday. Keppel is not the only student who played in that heart-breaker, but he knows plenty has changed since then for both the Boars and his club.
It means that the defeat won't be a big motivator when they run out onto Spicer Oval.
"I think that game, we thought we had in the bag with about 10 minutes to go. So yeah that did suck," Keppel said.
"We do have a few boys that were playing last year, but I feel like everything's changed. We've got a new coach, we've got a bloke from that Parkes side who is playing us [Jonah Ruzgas] and I noticed Parkes doesn't have anywhere near the same side that was on the park last year.
"That loss does hurt, but I think it won't come into play this weekend really. "
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Instead what is driving the students is the desire to keep building on what has been their best start to a season since 2012. Back then CSU won six games in succession before falling 24-5 to Orange City in round seven.
"We are going for five on the trot this weekend and I don't know how long since that's been done. We've had little achievements and little breaks in droughts, but we haven't done anything like this in years," Keppel said.
"Beating Narromine last weekend, that was a massive win for us. But we've all spoken this week and said that there's no point in us beating Narromine but then going out and losing to Parkes.
"I don't really know much about them to be honest ... but I think they will be alright at home. They don't have a second grade this year, so they are a really hard side to pick."
