Dave Conyers to help guide CSU's rugby talents for a 20th season

Conyers will return as coach of CSU's first XV for this year's New Holland Cup competition, continuing both his long involvement fostering rugby union talents and working with the university club.

"This year will be my 35th year coaching and 20th year with CSU," Conyers said.

"I wasn't always involved full-time with CSU, but a lot of times I'd come home for three months if I was overseas and help them out.

"It's been good though, I've seen a lot of different people come and go and every year you get a new batch."

While Conyers has vast coaching experience both in the Central West and overseas, his passion for improving his skills as a rugby mentor is still as strong as ever.

As such he attended a coaches forum in Brisbane in January. That's where he listened to - and then met - star NRL coach Bennett.

"It was a great conference that, an outstanding research based academic forum. I got to meet Wayne Bennett and it's his 35th year of coaching as well, so we've both got something in common," Conyers said.

"I've got 10 premierships, but mine aren't quite at the level his are at," he added with a laugh.

Part of the reason why Conyers has been lured back for another year of coaching at CSU is the chance to add an 11^th premiership to his tally.

Last season CSU qualified for the decider against Parkes and while the Boars had earned hosting rights, Conyers was confident the students could spring an upset.

But they never got the chance. The COVID-19 outbreak in regional NSW - and the subsequent lockdown - saw the grand final cancelled and Parkes declared premiers given they had won the major semi-final.

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"I'm giving it another crack, after what happened last year, it was really disappointing to see where we got and we didn't get a shot at it," Conyers said.

"It had all of the flavours of the year we beat Narromine, we had such a great build up, I had all those guest coaches and we'd changed up a lot of things but then boom.

"I had that same gut feeling of confidence that we would've done alright and to win away from home again would have been fantastic."

From the 2021 squad Conyers has lost representative front rower Lamarn Ma'a to Blowes Cup club Bathurst Bulldogs, while fellow prop Marcus Burrell will move to the Northern Territory in June.

But amongst those who Conyers, and his fellow CSU first XV coach Mark Campbell, have to work with in 2022 are a core of last season's unit and some exciting recruits.

"We've lost a few from last year but we'll hang on to about 10 of the 15. Sam Chambo [Chamberlain] is coming back - if there's one bloke that wants to beat Parkes it's him," Conyers said.

"This year we've got a good batch of new players, it's the first time in about five years there's been a real good intake like this.

"There's a couple of really good GPS boys that have come to college here, we've got two really good centres who have come in. What I saw the first week back at training, there's quite a bit of talent there."

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