PREMIERSHIPS, representative highlights, league awards, an NRL debut - season 2019 was certainly a big one for Bathurst rugby league.
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Here's a look at the year that was from A to Z.
IT is fair to say 2019 was pretty huge for Mackenzie Atkins.
He was part of the Bathurst Panthers side which won the Group 10 premier league grand final, he represented Western Rams and he finished his season by touring the UK with the New South Wales Country under 18s.
LUKE Bain won a NSW Rugby League Jersey Flegg premiership as his South Sydney Rabbitohs downed the Canberra Raiders to win 16-14.
"It came down to our D. It was a weird first half. There were a fair few points quite early but then it felt like the attack just shut off for both teams," he said.
"That second half was all focused around our D and it was a great way to end the season.
"From the start of the season we showed that we could be competitive with all other teams in the comp. We had a slow patch, like most teams do, coming towards the end of the normal season but everyone picked up another gear coming into the finals."
AFTER two years of grand final heartbreak, there were tears of joy for the CSU Mungoes as they defeated the Orange Barbarians 30-0 in the New Era Cup decider.
That they won the match in front of a home crowd at Diggings Oval made it even better.
CSU president and lock Jacob Watkin said that it was the team's attitude that helped seal the cup.
"The way we came into training last week we really got around one another, we didn't talk, we knew what to do and then today we had no nonsense in the warm up and just carried that into the game," he said.
COACH, captain, goal kicker, play maker - there's no doubting that Billy Dickinson was one of the keys for the premiership winning CSU Mungoes.
The star halfback was named the Mungoes' clubman of the year for his efforts.
BRONTE Emamuel was one of the best for the Saints' league tag side this year. Not only did her play-making skills create plenty of tries, she crossed for a brace in their 10-4 grand final win.
"I was lucky to be on the wing for that first try. That's not where I play. I just happened to be there backing up the girls," Emanuel said.
"With that second try it doesn't happen without the girls on either side of me. If they're not pushing up then they don't force the defence to guess."
HE played in the Group 10 under 18s and premier league grand finals for Bathurst Panthers, but it was Brad Fearnley's efforts for the Penrith Panthers which impressed most in 2019.
The talented Bathurst forward was named the Panthers' best in the SG Ball for 2019.
NOAH Griffiths continued to impress in 2019. He made his premier league debut for Bathurst Panthers, and earned praise for his efforts at halfback for the New South Wales under 18s.
"I really like this kid. The Storm have got him on contract and he's been on the radar and in the pathway for a number of years now," NSW coach Michael Ennis said.
"He's a really mature and controlled halfback for his age. He's slight in stature but like all country boys, has the heart of a lion."
DOUG Hewitt once again proved he is an inspirational leader for the Bathurst Panthers, the star halfback leading the men in black to a second consecutive premiership.
Hewitt proved the difference in the additional time period of the grand final against Mudgee, kicking the winning field goal from close range.
"You couldn't script it any better. I'm glad we're on the winning side of it," Hewitt said.
"I have practice field goal shots every now and then at training but you never think it's going to come to that.
"They wanted it more than we did in the first half. We had to go out there and make things happen, and it kept coming down to our defence."
BATHURST Panthers players Blake Lawson, Nick Loader plus Jake and Jedd Betts got the chance to test themselves against an international outfit when they played in the Western Rams' match against France.
The French won the game 22-20 at Parkes.
IT was Jack Siejka who scored the lone try in Bathurst Panthers' 9-8 grand final win over Mudgee, the four-pointer icing a top season for the second rower.
Still, he played down his efforts.
"I'm not worried about individual things. It's just about getting the win at the end of the day," he said.
"That's two in a row and hopefully it's the start of many."
WILLIAM Kennedy has achieved plenty is his rugby league career, but 2019 was his finest to date.
The star fullback made his NRL debut for the Cronulla Sharks and won both the Canterbury Cup grand final and a State Championship with the Newtown Jets.
After his debut for the Sharks, skipper Paul Gallen also offered Kennedy a massive compliment as he compared his skills to those of rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns.
"He's been part of our full time system for two or three years now and look, I compare him to Andrew Johns at training," Gallen said.
"He absolutely carves us to pieces at training all the time.
"I haven't seen too many better at training. If he can do half of what he does at training in a game, he'll be an absolute superstar."
SHE might not have been able to guide CSU Blue to an upset win over CSU Yellow in the New Era Cup grand final, but Jasmine Lagudi still ranked as one of the competition's best.
The star halfback was the chief play-maker for team and rightly earned New Era Cup representative honours.
SHE earned praise for the leadership skills she brought to the Western Rams in 2019, but it was in her role as captain for St Pat's league tag outfit that Mish Somers really shone.
Somers notched up her 100th game in blue and white during the season.
"One hundred games, yeah that does make me feel old, especially when you've got people like Erin Naden, 17, running around with you, it definitely makes you feel old. I'm Mum," she said.
SPEED, skill, ability to sniff out a try - they are all qualities which Erin Naden possess.
They are qualities which not only saw the St Pat's fullback earn representative honours in 2019, but be named best on ground in the grand final and Group 10s league tag player of the year.
She also won the top try-scorer award, having crossed 23 times during the regular season.
"I am pretty surprised actually, there are a lot of deserving players out there and being young too. There are heaps of girls in our team that I think deserved it, but I'm very honoured to get the award," she said.
"To be honest I didn't really think it was that many tries, I don't really keep count of tries. I thought it would have been Meredith [Jones] that got there, but it's pretty good.
"It's good to get just one try, but to get top try scorer, that's pretty good."
TECHNICALLY Oberon does not fall in the Bathurst rugby league category, but the Tigers still earn a spot here for one of the biggest stories of the season.
After missing out on the 2019 Group 10 premier league finals series, Oberon made the tough choice to withdraw from that competition. The Tigers will play in the New Era Cup in 2020.
YEAH there were plenty of silky skills on show from backs this season, but you've still got to love a hard-hitting, strong-running display from a prop.
Think the likes of Brent Seager for Bathurst Panthers, Daniel Kennedy for CSU and Mickey Hawkings for the Saints - they all provided a host of highlights.
AFTER going undefeated through season 2018, there was plenty of pressure as St Pat's league tag side launched its quest for a repeat this year. It was pressure the Saints handled.
SCORING the winning try in a grand final is always a highlight, especially when it is the only four-pointer of the match.
It was CSU Yellow talent April Rich who enjoyed that moment in the New Era Cup league tag grand final, crossing in the corner in the dying minutes.
IT was a tough season for St Pat's Group 10 premier league side - they won just four games - but centre Mitch Squire still provided highlights. He was named their best and fairest.
"I was honoured. I was really surprised to get it," Squire said.
"I'd say there were three to four other people who would have definitely deserved to win it."
ST Pat's won their third straight Group 10 senior league tag title with a 10-4 grand final win over the Orange Hawks.
Winning coach Mick Armstrong was over the moon as his Saints celebrated their second straight undefeated season.
"Our defence on the line was outstanding but when they were coming out of our end they were making line breaks. We had to keep defending our line but we did it and that was great to see," he said.
"They were buggered at half-time. They'd had to work hard that whole half and Hawks kept coming. They played great all day and a lot of credit has to go to them."
OF all the rugby league premiership success stories this year, St Pat's win in the Group 10 Junior Rugby League under 13s decider surely tops the list.
They posted a 16-12 extra-time grand final win over Mudgee White, marking the first time in five years that the Dragons had been beaten.
"We were pretty stoked, it was a pretty good game and a well deserved victory, but Mudgee were by no means easy-beats, they put everything they had into it as well," Saints coach Tony England said.
"It's extremely surreal, they are a very, very high quality team. To be able to walk away and say we beat those guys on grand final day, it's the first time they've been beaten in such a long time - it's just exceptional."
SIX members of the Group 10 premier league title winning Bathurst Panthers side were named in the People's Choice Group 10 Team of the Year.
Doug Hewitt, Brent Seager, Jack Siejka, Willie Wright, Kevin Murray and winger Louis Murphy all had their efforts recognised by the public.
NATHAN Ward certainly enjoyed a stellar season 2019.
He was skipper of the under 18 Western Rams side which made it to this year's Laurie Daley Cup decider and impressed enough to earn a spot in the NSW Country under 18s side which later toured the UK.
The lock played in the under 18s grand final for Bathurst Panthers, was named their best and fairest and was presented with the Guy Weeks Memorial Trophy for the junior player most likely to be a premier league regular.
THERE are plenty of players who brought that special spark to their teams in 2019, but Bathurst Panthers five-eighth Willie Wright gets our nod for the biggest x-factor.
CSU Yellow made it four consecutive New Era Cup league tag crowns for the Mungals when winning a grand final thriller 4-0 at Diggings Oval.
In a gripping contest against club-mates CSU Blue, the Kate Rooney led Yellow outfit absorbed plenty of pressure before April Rich crossed for a late match-winner.
IT was not the easiest of year's for Zac Merritt as injury prevented him from playing the minutes he wanted to in the front row for St Pat's.
But Merritt's skill and leadership qualities were still evident and saw him named as the Saints' captain-coach for season 2020.
