But before Central West Rugby Union competitions had to be abandoned, there was a plethora of positives for those involved in what has been dubbed 'the game they play in heaven'.

From players reaching game milestones, to representative highlights and those who ranked amongst the finest in their competitions, here's an A to Z look at what went down for the Bathurst talents involved with rugby union in 2021.

LAST season kick-off was delayed due to COVID-19 and in 2021 it forced Central West Rugby Union to make the tough call to abandon the finals series in a number of its competitions.

With regional NSW placed into lockdown, travel restricted, teams unable to train and no certainty over when play could resume, it was a decision CWRU chief executive officer Matt Tink said was necessary.

But it wasn't a decision which was easy.

"It was a board decision, a number of various options were discussed at length and this is the decision we've reached," Tink said.

"It's probably not the most popular decision, but we feel that for the safety of our communities and our players, this was the right way to go.

After consulting with every club involved, it was decided that the premierships in the Blowes Cup grades and Ferguson Cup would be awarded to the minor premiers of those respective competitions, while the New Holland Cup grades, North Cup and South West men's and women's titles were awarded to the teams which won major semi-finals.

Tink said it was "a pretty hollow feeling" when the board made the announcement.

CENTRAL West reaffirmed its status as a heavyweight by taking out the Country Championship double this season - the women winning the Thomson Cup and the men the Caldwell Cup.

As the Central West Blue Bulls and Bullettes successfully defended the Country Championship crowns they'd won when the titles were last staged in 2019, they did so with the help of a number of Bathurst talents.

The Blue Bulls side which downed Far North Coast 24-19 in the decider at Tamworth featured five Bathurst Bulldogs - Peter Fitzsimmons, Justin Mobbs, Adam Plummer, Sione Naufahua and Harry Webber - plus CSU's Lachie Buckton and Lamarn Ma'a.

Meanwhile the Blue Bullettes outfit which beat Hunter 35-15 in their final was skippered by Bathurst Bulldog Mel Waterford.

That side featured fellow Bulldogs Claudia McLaren, Marita Shoulders, Ebony Fenton, Kate Gullifer, Molly Kennedy, Brydie Comisky and Jacinta Windsor, while CSU was represented by Jacinta Cooper and Caitlin James.

BATHURST has long been know for producing NSW Country Cockatoos and in 2021 the squad again featured talents from the city.

Bulldogs duo Justin Mobbs and Adam Plummer both got the call up after strong performances for Central West.

"In 2019 I was picked in the training squad but I was unsuccessful in making the actual team. So this is the first time I've made the team," Mobbs said.

"[Adam] He's played some junior country rugby, but I'm stoked for him to get the opportunity. He thoroughly deserves it."

When it came to the women's Country Corellas squad, there was an even stronger Bathurst presence with six players named.

CSU's Jacinta Cooper along with Bathurst Bulldogs' Mel Waterford, Marita Shoulders, Claudia McLaren, Molly Kennedy and Jacinta Windsor were all rewarded for their Thomson Cup-winning performance.

"I came through the ranks of junior country rugby, so that next stepping stone is something that's paid off from those years of junior experience," Kennedy, who plays in the front row, said.

THEY qualified for the grand final and they left no stone unturned in their preparation for that decider, but CSU never got the chance to battle Parkes for New Holland Cup glory.

The COVID-19 lockdown of regional NSW came a week after CSU had won the preliminary final and soon after came the news that because of the lockdown, the grand final would not go ahead.

As Parkes was the first side into the grand final, it was the Boars who were named champions. For CSU it was devastation.

"We had good fun this year, the boys all learned something, I guess that's all you can ask isn't it ... but it does leave an empty feeling in your stomach, that you've left something undone," coach Dave Conyers said.

BOY oh boy did CSU score in 2021 when young flyhalf Ethan Cusick decided to play for them this season instead of the Randwick colts.

Cusick was key in helping the students qualify for the New Holland Cup grand final before it was abandoned.

Not only did he score more points than any other player in the competition - his tally including 16 tries - but he was named player of the year as well.

"It was pretty surreal, I feel pretty humbled to receive it," he said.

"The competition has got some talent, it's a pretty outstanding standard, so I was happy to receive it."

THREE members of the Bathurst Bulldogs women's side hit their 50 senior games milestone in 2021 - Kate Gullifer, Mel Waterford and Ebony Fenton.

It was Gullifer who was the first to reach the milestone, becoming the first female at the club to do so.

While she was not part of the inaugural Bulldogs' women's outfit in 2016, Gullifer joined the following year and since then the flyhalf has become an integral member of the line-up.

"I actually got into rugby because of Mandy Scott. I was playing touch footy with Mandy and she just said 'You look like you can take a hit so you can come to training'. I did and I've enjoyed it, very much so," Gullifer revealed.

"I think Bulldogs' grand final win two years ago at home against Emus was the definite highlight."

WHILE CSU's first XV did not get the chance to contest the New Holland Cup grand final they qualified for, they certainty prepared well before the season was abandoned.

In the quest for glory head coach Dave Conyers invited a number of guest mentors to CSU training sessions.

"It's just bringing in some new faces and new ideas to keep people interested," he said of the move

Bathurst Bulldogs' Damien Grant and Pip McIntosh helped out, while two men with vast rugby league knowledge - Kevin Grimshaw and Royce George - helped CSU work on their defence.

MAY 15, 2021 - it is a date that Tom Hooper should long remember as it was that Saturday evening when he made his Super Rugby debut for the ACT Brumbies.

The talented lock took to field at Christchurch Stadium in the 71st minute of the Brumbies' match against the Crusaders.

While the Brumbies went down 31-29 in a close contest, the night was still a special one for Hooper.

"I think every every kid growing up in Australia wants to play New Zealand teams, let alone the Crusaders who have the pick of the bunch," the former Stannies star said.

"It's good to test yourself against the best and then from there you can just grow in confidence and hopefully I can do that and ... climb the rungs in the ladder from there."

Hooper went on to be selected for the Junior Wallabies, although the COVID-19 pandemic meant the two-Test series against New Zealand scheduled for July was cancelled.

BROTHERS James and Daniel Donato have achieved plenty together on the rugby field and in August they both signed up for their biggest adventure yet.

The twins who once shone in action for Saint Stanislaus' College signed for Italian club S.S. Lazio Rugby 1927.

"At the end of last year I had someone from Elite Athlete Management contact me," Dan, who also played colts rugby with CSU, said.

"I was keen to work with him, but I wanted to try to stay in Australia and make Super Rugby. But he told me all of the Aussie clubs were full, and said he could pass on my CV to Europe.

"I thought 'Why not?'. It only took two weeks and he came back to me saying that a club in Italy was keen."

SHE was in awe of her fellow forwards and she was full of praise for her rivals, but CSU prop Caitlin James also did plenty of impressing in season 2021.

In fact James' efforts for the students were so impressive that she was named the joint winner of the North Cup player of the year alongside Mudgee's Maddie Piccolo.

James, who earned the award in her second season with CSU, tried to deflect praise on to her team-mates. She felt any one of them would have been deserving for a campaign which saw the university side the undefeated minor premiers.

"I put every one of them in front of me to get this award because they put in the biggest effort this year," she said

ONE good kick - that's all that separated Bathurst Bulldogs from Forbes in a round four Blowes Cup classic.

In a match that saw the lead change hands four times, it was ultimately a Kurt Weekes conversion inside the final three minutes that saw Bulldogs snatch a 24-22 victory.

Forbes did have a late chance to win - they were awarded a penalty in the final seconds - but the kick for goal missed the target.

ACROSS the grades at Bathurst Bulldogs and CSU this season there were a number players who inspired their team-mates and showed exceptional leadership on the field.

But two leaders in particular enjoyed special moments in 2021 - Melissa Waterford and Peter Fitzsimmons.

Waterford was captain of the Central West Blue Bullettes side which defended its Country Championships title, the Bulldogs star hoisting the trophy for the second time in as many campaigns.

"Considering the short campaign we had together, we managed to come together at the right time and all players, one through 25, played their part. We put together an excellent game," she said after winning the decider.

In the case of Fitzsimmons, he acted as vice-captain to star Forbes flyhalf Mahe Fangupo for the Central West Blue Bulls outfit which won the Caldwell Cup.

It was the first time Fitzsimmons, now a three-times Caldwell Cup winner, had held a leadership role for the senior Blue Bulls.

"It's very nice, I never put my hand up to ask for these things, I just want to work hard, and to get some recognition for that is really nice," Fitzsimmons said.

"Especially to get to run out behind Mahe, I couldn't be any happier, he's a leader in his Forbes team but has been a leader in the Central West team without being named captain for a long time."

WHEN Claudia McLaren was vice-captain of the Central West Blue Bullettes outfit which won the New South Wales Country Championships and was also named as player of the tournament, she thought it was a huge afternoon.

As it turned out, an even bigger one was to come.

In July only did McLaren get to play in a curtain raiser to the Super W grand final at the Coffs International Stadium, she scored a try to help her Super W Selects outfit post a 17-15 win over the President's XV.

Her team-mates in that Super W Selects team included Lori Kramer, a player who has skippered Queensland, lined up at fullback for the Wallaroos and played rugby 7s for Australia.

"I just kept smiling. It almost felt surreal, I think that's the best word to explain everything at the moment," McLaren said.

DALE Norris created a piece of Bathurst Bulldogs history in April when he ran out for his 371^st senior game.

It was a mark which no Bulldog before him had reached, and that the club record came in a match which saw the first XV better fierce rivals Orange Emus at Ashwood Park made it even better for the man they call 'Knocker'.

"This has been the best game, this one right now, this is real special," Norris, who lined up at lock, said.

"It was a record, it was unexpected to play in first grade and to win against Emus, it was just a very special moment.

"I'm quite lucky to have a couple of family members from Sydney and Canberra here which made it even better, and to get away with the win was just amazing."

Norris joined the club as a 17-year-old and over the years his efforts have included a pair of back-to-back second grade premierships.

WE already knew that Dean Oxley was a master coach, but in season 2021 he reaffirmed his status as one of the finest rugby mentors in the Central West.

Oxley coached the Central West Blue Bulls to a successful Country Championships title defence this season, his men overcoming a less than ideal preparation to go on and beat Far North Coast 24-19 in the decider.

"This feels even better [than 2019 triumph] because of the fact that we were so underprepared," Oxley said.

"In 2019 we were coming off the back of a tour and we were confident that we were coming here to win it. We were disappointed in 2018 after losing the final, so were we very happy to break through.

"[This year] was an outstanding result with a new bunch of guys and a core group from the last time. We're really looking forward to going for the three-peat."

IT is no great secret CSU has spent a number campaigns seasons struggling to match it with much bigger forward packs, but in 2021 their tight five was one of their real strengths.

Much of it was to do with prop Lamarn Ma'a.

The former Australian Schoolboy not only excelled on the field - he earned Central West selection - but he shared his knowledge with his team-mates and helped them improve their game as well.

Such was his commitment to CSU, one Saturday he made an eight-hour round trip to play.

"He's been an absolute revelation for us this year," coach Dave Conyers said.

"We've missed him a few times with injury and the times we did miss him - our scrum is so much better when he is there. Just his on field presence and maturity and the way he helps the young guys is just invaluable.

"He's also a great character off the field too, he's right into the social side of it, he helps the girls out when he can, he's always at the social functions, he's just one of those guys that has the rugby spirit."

WHILE CSU and Bathurst Bulldogs did not get the chance to contest a full finals series this season due to the COVID-19 lockdown and subsequent abandonment of the remainder of the season, they still managed to qualify all their sides.

The Bathurst Bulldogs women finished the regular season as minor premiers, the first and second XV qualified for the finals in third, with the third grade outfit ranked fourth at the completion of the home and away rounds.

The CSU women were the undefeated North Cup minor premiers, and in the New Holland Cup, the first XV qualified in second while the students' second XV ran third.

THERE were some one brilliant displays of attacking rugby this season - like when Bathurst Bulldogs women's skipper Mardi Watts scored seven tries against Orange City and the Doggies men put on 71 points against the Lions.

But arguably the most impressive scoring rampage came from CSU's first XV when they ran in 33 points in 18 minutes to set up a 55-21 win over the Dubbo Rhinos.

"It was pretty much consistent for the first 20 minutes of the game, everything we touched turned to gold," CSU coach Dave Conyers said.

"Front rowers scoring under the posts, props and second rowers exchanging three and four passes and scoring under the posts, it was just freaky sort of play.

"I saw some of the best tries I've ever seen scored at this oval scored, it was just amazing the amount of people who touched the ball to score. It was really inspiring."

IT may have come in unusual fashion, but when the Bathurst Bulldogs women were crowned Ferguson Cup premiers this year it extended their title streak to five consecutive seasons.

With the Ferguson Cup being abandoned before any finals were contested, it was decided by Central West Rugby Union officials to award the title to the minor premiers. It was Bulldogs who sat on top of the ladder.

They posted 11 wins from 12 rounds, a bonus point in all but one game and scored 91 tries on their way to winning the minor premiership by eight points.

The latest title added to their previous successes against Cowra in the 2017 grand final, CSU in 2018, Emus in 2019 and Dubbo Kangaros in 2020.

HE'S been a grand final hero, he's been a coach and he's filled just about every position in the back line - there's no doubting that Phil Tonkin is one very valued member of the Bathurst Bulldogs club.

This season Tonkin hit his 200th game for the Bulldogs, the milestone coming as Bathurst beat Orange City 31-0 in the final round of the regular season.

The man who first joined the club as a colt in 2006 did so playing at fullback for the first XV.

"I was thinking the other day when I was in the sheds 'Gee I've sat here a long time'. It's a lot of trainings, a lot of games, a lot of time spent doing it. But the whole time it's been good fun," Tonkin said.

JUST as senior Bathurst players managed to impress New South Wales Country selectors this season, so too did a handful of juniors.

Hamish Scott (under 15s), Paige Lowe and Annie Craig (under 16s) and Bailey Warren (under 18s) all earned NSW Country selection, proving they are up and comers to keep an eye on.

For prop Warren and halfback Craig, season 2021 also saw them get a taste of senior football with the Bulldogs.

"It's been a pretty good experience, being the young fella in this team. It's a good test because there's some hard hitters out there," Warren said of his first XV experience.

"I was really keen to do it. I trained with them for a bit last year when I was 15 and not old enough to play, everyone was really nice," Craig said.

FROM manning the gate to working in the canteen and behind the bar, from selling raffle tickets to organising uniforms, clubs can't run without volunteers.

The work they do is vital, but often goes unacknowledged, so we thought they deserved a nod.

PREMIERSHIP winning captain, try scoring machine, brutal defender, Ferguson Cup best and fairest - season 2021 was a big one for Mardi Watts.

While the Bathurst Bulldogs fullback missed around a month of rugby with a broken finger, her influence when she did line up in the blue and gold was huge.

It was not just about the amount of points she scored either - and there were plenty of long range specials - but the way she helped to develop the younger, more inexperienced members of the Bulldogs' squad.

"I was just trying to take a bit more of a leadership role and use my experience to help others focus on their own game," she said.

"I'm not really interested in doing any more rep stuff, so I'm focussing my skills on what is next for me and that is helping the next generation coming through."

THERE are a number of players who wore Bulldogs and CSU colours this season that come to mind when talking about an X-factor, but in 2021 it's Maddie Reilly who gets the nod.

The CSU winger turned centre was named the highest point scorer in the North Cup for the year.

Remarkably she scored a try in every regular season game she played and finished 2021 with 20 five-pointers to her credit.

Many of those tries came from deep in her own territory, Reilly's explosive speed, strong support play and handy fend turning defence into attack in an instant.

SEASON 2021 - the year a talented sprinter became one of the hottest female rugby union prospects in the the Central West.

When Jacinta Windsor first rocked up at Bathurst Bulldogs training this season, it was with the mindset of trying something new and giving herself a challenge.

It was immediately clear that she had speed, but as the season unfolded Windsor showed she brought a whole lot more to the Bulldogs as well.

She was named in the Central West Blue Bullettes open women's side for the Country Championship and her debut was one to remember. It earned her selection in the NSW Country Corellas squad.

Windsor scored 15 tries in her maiden season for the Bulldogs as well, with co-coach Pip McIntosh tipping she will go on to bigger and better things.

"Jacinta Windsor - what a superstar she's going to be," McIntosh said.

THE Zoo - it's the affectionate name for CSU's home ground University Oval and in season 2021, it was the only ground where the Parkes Boars suffered defeat.

The round 14 clash at 'The Zoo' was a top-of-the-table affair, the competition-leading Parkes eager to work towards an undefeated minor premiership while CSU wanted to strike a blow against the Boars before finals.

In one of the best New Holland games of the season, Parkes opened up a 10-point lead before CSU responded to score 17 unanswered points and post a 28-21 win.

"They had some really big, long passages of possession there where they really threatened, but our defence was much improved today and we just wanted it more than they did really," CSU coach Dave Conyers said.

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