The 2023 Peter McDonald Premiership team of the season

Recently named our most improved player of the season, Manning quickly developed into one of the leading fullbacks in the comp and was a huge part in Hawks' rise from outside the finals to a prelim in the space of 12 months.

A 30-point individual haul in a derby win over CYMS was a highlight and he's definitely one to watch moving forward.

Having been in the Rabbitohs and Knights systems when he was younger, there was excitement about Hughes when he arrived at CYMS ahead of the 2022 season. A torn pectoral in pre-season ruined most of his year but he more than made up for it during CYMS' run to the 2023 premiership.

Only teammate Jeremy Thurston scored more tries this season and his size and power was a real weapon for the Fishies on the left edge.

This won't shock too many people. He arrived mid-season and went on to score 13 tries in 11 matches for the Cowboys.

Ferguson was everything you want a former NRL player to be. He was invested, engaging with fans and the media and, most importantly, a genuine star on the field. His size and strength was far too much for many opponents and here's hoping we see him in maroon again in 2024.

He's been mentioned a couple times already, but 'Jez' was one of the first names down for this side.

Whether it's fullback, centres or even five-eighth, Thurston was one of CYMS' best in 2023.

He may not have hit the heights of his stunning 2022 campaign, but he delivered when it mattered and produced one of his best performances of the season in the grand final win over Mudgee. Difficult to tackle and possessing pace and power, Thurston is simply one of the best players in the western area.

He might not play on the wing too much, but we simply had to find a spot for the St Pat's star.

Few players perform at such a consistently high level and Brien making this side has been a safe bet for a number of years now. Strong, fast and a great finisher, the only query is whether St Pat's would have made it further this season if they gave him more ball?

Class. Few players make the game look as easy as the former NRL player. While he spent most of the season at fullback for Mudgee, we've slotted him in the halves here as he's more than comfortable there.

The move to fullback gave the Dragons another element to their attack this season but it was late in the year where his quality really shone. His organisation and kicking game game in comeback wins over Parkes and Orange Hawks during the finals series was something special.

Really stamping himself as the best halfback in the region now. If last year was a leap forward for Porter, this season was where he cemented that status.

The pressure of being captain-coach for the first time didn't seem to worry him as he produced a textbook halfback's performance almost every week. A great organiser and communicator, throwing long and short, strong kicking game, and a running game better than most halves. Ticks all the boxes.

Inspirational. An 80-minute man who gives it his all every week. We argued in the past he was underrated but everyone knows his quality know.

The Scott-Weir Medal winner for player in the match in the grand final, Powyer's two tireless and extremely physical performances against Mudgee - the other best side in the competition - are almost worthy of selection alone.

The best player in the competition this year and stands head and shoulders above the rest in what is arguably the position with the strongest depth of talent in the competition.

His move back to the No. 9 from the halves was a huge part of CYMS' success this season and he was raved about by teammates and his coach almost every week.

All season Bonham was quick with the ball from dummy half, strong running, strong defence and had a kicking game which relieved pressure time and time again.

The Group 11 Player of the Year is another simple choice. Another 80-minute front-rower who doesn't do anything flashy, Buchanan just got through a mountain of work each and every week. That's not something you get very often in bush footy and it helped take Parkes to another level this year.

Someone who also made those around him better, Buchanan's experience from time in the NRL and Super League was invaluable for the Spacemen and made his captain-coach's job much more easy.

Another consistent performer who is a bit of a regular on this list each year. Toomey-White was one point off claiming a record sixth Group 11 Player of the Year title this season after another standout season with the Cowboys.

His leadership helped drag the Cowboys back after last season's wooden spoon and his performances didn't dip at all.

The Cowboys' right edge featuring Seaun Stanley and Blake Ferguson made a lot of headlines but Toomey-White was a constant threat on the left and yes, we did see those few grubbers that back-rowers just shouldn't be putting in.

Does anyone enjoy their footy more than Will Wardle? A former NSW Country representative, Wardle was strong in his debut season at Parkes last year but went to another level in 2023.

His power-running game led to 14 tries - the joint-second best behind Thurston - (and they were all celebrated well) while his skillset meant he even played five-eighth one game.

Part of a lethal Parkes left edge alongside Chad Porter and Jacob Smede, Wardle was one of the PMP's top few players this season.

Reliable. Inspirational. Tireless. Talented. Jake Betts is just Mr Everything for the Bathurst Panthers.

He pulled his much-changed side up off the canvas after a 60-0 loss in round one and got them up to third by the time the regular season finished. He led the way on the field, again providing Panthers with another playmaking option at lock while still doing all the regular dirty work of a forward.

You know exactly what you'll get from Betts each week and that is a very high level of performance.

The Mudgee rake is unlucky Bonham had such an incredible season. He'll have to make do with a spot on the bench after being one of the main drivers of the Dragons' run to the grand final.

As tough as they come, Beasley continually got his powerful Mudgee pack rolling and provided perfect services to playmakers Littlejohn, Pacey Stockton and Hayden Carpenter. Someone who really leaves everything out on the field each week.

The signing of the season. Not much was known about the former NRL Victoria Player of the Year but 'Tau' proved to be a human wrecking ball for the Spacemen.

His ball skills and step might get him kicked out of the front-rowers club, but Mapapalangi was the perfect partner for the workhorse Jack Buchanan and his ability to disrupt opposition sides in the opening 20 minutes of matches was something which helped Parkes get on the front foot early.

If Alex Bonham's move from halves to hooker was the masterstroke of the season, Boss going from halfback to lock at Hawks was not far behind.

It gave Hawks a completely new direction and Boss quickly got into his work as part of the forward pack while still providing a playmaking element that kept opposition sides guessing.

A contender for Group 10 Player of the Year, Boss is a key part of a Hawks side which looks to have a bright future.

Another contender for the most improved crown. Always a promising youngster from the other side of the levee bank, Dunn really exploded onto the scene this year.

He was one of three player to finish second on the try-scorers chart with 14 tries and the combination he developed with halfback Josh Merritt on the Tigers' right edge was one of the best in the competition.

Whether it was the second-row or centre, Dunn was constantly a handful for opposition defences and looks like the type of player who is only going to get better.

We recently named him coach of the season in our end-of-season awards piece, so this was an easy choice.

His decisions to change the positions of Ryan Manning and Matt Boss completely changed things at Hawks while he's helped the likes of Lachie Lawson, Mack Selwood and Ben Blimka all reach a new level.

As we said in the awards article, Hawks could be the fittest team in Group 10 and they were a team that rarely made a mistake and made the opposition earn every point.

The position of hooker would have been more difficult had Hayden Bolam not suffered a season-ending knee injury midway through the season. He'd been the best at Bathurst St Pat's up to that point. Across town, Jesse Limon and McCoy White were strong for Panthers, as was halfback Doug Hewitt when he was available.

Champions Dubbo CYMS also had James Stanley and Ben Marlin just miss out on a spot in this side while Casey Burgess and Lleyton Lothian were top performers at Mudgee alongside player-coach Clay Priest when he wasn't injured or suspended.

Seaun Stanley Jr was tremendous for Wellington, as were Sam Dywer and Jim Dabea at Parkes, while Mitch Andrews was again a standout at Forbes and Jack Sullivan helped Lithgow improve on and off the pitch.

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