After a tough 2020 campaign which saw CSU struggle for numbers at times and narrowly avoid the wooden spoon with just two wins, this season they qualified for the grand final.

It's a grand final which didn't go ahead, Central West Rugby Union making the decision earlier this week to cancel all its remaining competitions due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown.

As such, Parkes Boars were declared the New Holland Cup champions given they had won the major semi-final.

"Everyone was really keen for this grand final and put that extra effort in individually to get to that grand final. I really wanted it too, I took a lot of time off work to be there with the club to help us to get to that point," Chamberlain said.

"I didn't expect them to announce a team to get a premiership, I think that's completely unfair. It's not that the other games don't count, but the grand final really is the one game that matters.

"Anything can happen in a grand final, it doesn't matter if you'd beaten them all year or only beaten them once, it doesn't matter, anything can happen.

"Even if we were awarded the premiership, if we were in Parkes' position, to me, I wouldn't be happy about that, that's not winning a grand final. I think premierships should be earned, not given."

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Chamberlain knows plenty about grand finals and what it takes to win them. He was there in 2019 when CSU shocked Narromine in the decider and he also found plenty of success during his time with Orange Emus.

"I've won a few premierships, I've been pretty lucky actually through my time in rugby. With Emus I won four premierships with third grade, second grade and two first grade ones, one with CSU in 2019 too," he said.

"I played for Orange Emus for 17 years then I moved over to Bathurst in 2015. I had a knee reconstruction and then I decided to play for CSU."

Playing for CSU is something Chamberlain has enjoyed and having the chance to captain the first XV this year brought with it plenty of pride for the number 8.

His fellow forwards were impressive throughout the campaign and Chamberlain was also full of praise for the coaching staff.

"I'm definitely proud of the boys, we had a really good year this year, probably of the five years I've been here this has been one of the best seasons, obviously 2019 as well," he said.

"It was probably one of the best forward packs I've played with to be honest and the most consistent.

"Having all all the guest coaches come in and Conz [David Conyers] as well and Mark Campbell with the backs, they really put in the effort and the standard of footy the boys were playing was really good."

CSU finished the season in second place with a record of 10 wins from 13 games played.

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