CSU Mungoes Rugby League name their team of the decade in lead up to Mid West season

The Mungoes men enjoyed a resurgence in their success and popularity when they made the move to Group 10's second tier in 2012, scoring two premierships in three seasons, and when the league tag competition arrived on the scene it became CSU's domain.

They would go on to win every competition since its inaugural 2015 season, even locking out the grand final with both their Blue and Yellow squads on several occasions.

Such a successful decade is worth celebrating, so the club recently ran an online poll to determine who deserved a place among the Mungoes' top players of the 2010s.

The poll received an excellent response and chosen players were given in-depth write ups from the Mungoes social media team, bringing a much needed enjoyment boost during what's been a challenging 2020 for the sporting community.

We caught up with several of the players named in the men's and women's teams to get their thoughts on being named and what it meant to be a part of the passionate university side.

Elwin's major highlight was coaching the 2018 CSU Yellow side to victory over their Blue counterparts in the grand final before calling the shots for the Mungals in the inaugural tackle charity clash against the women's rugby side.

The Temora native was also quick to put her hand up for anything which could help foster a great culture at the club, and said the best thing about the Mungoes was the fresh approach towards all things rugby league.

"I came from a small town where I was involved in the local league committee. It was full of traditional mindsets that were resistant to change but being at the university was cool because all the admin are all in their 20s and willing to try new things. For girls in sport, that's what we need," she said.

"To have a bunch of boys who are open to girls getting involved and to also have girls in power, like Grace Bickmore-Hutt as president when I was there, it's something I don't think is replicated enough."

Elwin was part of the selection committee for the 2010s team and said while studying the players it was amazing to see the depth that the women's game has enjoyed at the university.

"It was really good to look at how far the Mungoes have come over the years," she said.

"It shows how lucky we are to have girls in this age group, whereas the small towns don't have that luxury. We've got that quick player turnover and we've always had lots of numbers, and we had so many players to pick from."

Wright left his mark on the Mungoes from the early stages of his time at the university and in 2014 he captained the team to a premiership.

But his contributions went even further than that. The former Cowra Magpies junior has one of the most enviable try-scoring rates at the club, with the centre boasting an impressive 48 tries from his 47 matches.

The talented centre always did what he could to better the club outside of match time. He was president through the 2016 season and the following year was a trainer.

"It's a huge honour to be named. The calibre of player represented across the entire team is phenomenal. The thing that's great is the team is a great representation of the decade.

"It encapsulates our consistent high standard from across the decade, in that you can take players from all across those 10 years. There was never really a lapse, even with teams going over different phases and rebuilding times.

"It's amazing to be a part of this group."

Wright said it was a joy to watch the Mungoes find their footing in the region's second tier competition.

"I saw them transition from the tertiary competition and saw what Andrew Arnold and Andrew Banasik did to facilitate that. We had the early success in 2012 and then captaining that premiership team in 2014 was the greatest on-field honour I've ever had," he said.

"For me, being involved in the club when there was a lot of growth in the Mungals feels like a big achievement. We supported the transition from a club for the boys for a club that's inclusive for anyone who wants to be involved in community sport."

Another centre named into the team of the decade was the Mungals' Abby Schofield, who collected three straight titles with the club between 2016 and 2018.

Schofield's strength on both sides of the ball made her a valuable part of every Mungals team through their title runs, but the centre said the experience wouldn't have been as enjoyable without the support of those around her.

"It's was very exciting to make it. It's a great club to be a part of and great to be chosen in this team. There's so many amazing girls playing in the club so it's a nice feeling," Schofield said of her selection.

"The people at the Mungoes are what makes it so great to be a part of. The best part was all the friendships I made and it was nice to win a couple of grand finals as well.

"I really feel like the president, vice-president and the committee helped to take the club in the right direction. They've made it so welcoming and it's a great place for people to come to each year."

Berryman earned the number 12 jumper in the team of the decade on the back of a superb stint with the club and the Mungals player was often a voice the team would often rally around.

Making the cut for the team of the decade was an exciting moment for Berryman.

"It's an absolute honour to be named in the team of the decade," she said.

"It was such a nice feeling knowing that someone voted for you and that someone appreciated what you did for the club.

"The best part of the experience with the Mungals were the friendships that the girls made together, regardless of your age, where you were from, or what you did.

"We all shared incredibly fun experiences together and made tonnes of memories that we can look back on and laugh at."

1 Billy Dickinson, 2 Jacob Parslow, 3 Blake Robinson, 4 Brad Wright, 5 Josh Kemp, 6 Blake Dean, 7 Brad Dewar, 8 Brendan Bartlett, 9 Tom McDevitt, 10 Tom Adams, 11 Regan Hughes, 12 Phil Thurgood, 13 Oscar Thorburn, 14 Rhys Power, 15 Terrance Lindsay, 16 Sam Thompson, 17 Daniel Organ, 18 Riley Scelly, 19 Tyler Lawson, 20 James Bruce

1 Emily Warner, 2 Bec Jones, 3 Diani Giardino, 4 Abby Schofield, 5 Grace Bickmore-Hutt, 6 Kate Schofield, 7 Jasmine Lagudi, 8 Amy Carter, 9 Amanda Marks, 10 Carly Elwin, 11 Jess Sewastenko, 12 Jess Berryman, 13 Rumah Prendy, 14 Amy Dewar, 15 Alisha Rommy, 16 Brittany King, 17 Claudia McLaren, 18 Nikki McWhirter, 19 Izzy Hunt, 20 Marielle Biancardi

Men: 3 (2012, 2014, 2019)

Women: 5 (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)