Long story short, Keppel and Hughes have plonked the students on their backs and carried them to the top of the table.

They provide perfect foil for each other in a scintillating combination, Keppel playing an outside play-making role and Hughes acting a bullocking, red-headed battering ram in a way, considering the superb lines he runs constantly.

Keppel's boot has played a massive role and he's kicked the students to victory more than once too, while Hughes has crossed the stripe nine times so far in 2019.

Here's a true indication of their influence on the students' potency with the ball, of the 295 points CSU have scored over the first eight rounds Keppel and Hughes have, combined, accounted for 118 of them.

Yep, they've scored exactly 40 per cent of their side's total points.

Their form begs a question too, were either of them considered for Central West? They should've been.

We've waxed lyrical about Mobbs' transformation from second grade fullback to top grade, and now Central West, second-rower and he remains arguably the form player of the Blowes Clothing Cup, overall.

In the past month that mantle's been taken by Orange Emus hooker Charlie Henley, but from a holistic point of view there's been no better than Mobbs across the opening eight rounds of the season.

He's still developing in terms of the set-piece but has become a challenge for even the best of jumpers, but his work in general play has been something to behold.

His history in the backs adds another dimension to Bulldogs' attacking play and he's notched plenty of try assists across the year, and crossed for nine five-pointers of his own too, failing to score in just one game.

If we talking recruits of the year so far Henley would be number one, unquestionably.

His impact at Orange Emus has been monumental since linking with the club from NSW Suburban Rugby Union heavyweights Colleagues, and replacing injured hooker Tom Goolagong.

He's played just four of Emus' eight games since but is already the greens' leading try-scorer, has polled best and fairest points in all of his appearances and is already among the front-runners for the top tier's Blowes Clothing Cup player-of-the-year.

In fact you could probably argue the 28-year-old should be at the top of this list, and if he'd been here for the entire season he may well have been.

The Lions' skipper, Tremain's been Orange City's heart and soul for some time, inciting unbridled passion among his troops who would do just about anything for him.

We got a true indication of that influence after he was ruled out for the season following that well-publicised incident in Cowra though.

Not just on Orange City either, on the entire Central West region.

Well-wishes and support flooded in from everywhere, and I mean everywhere. I'd expect that of the tight-knight community rugby union has anyway but it went to a new level once word spread Tremain was suffering.

On the field, well, the proof's in the pudding there too.

Since Tremain was ruled out Orange City were hammered 60-nil by Bulldogs and then comfortably beaten 45-21 by Emus.

The Lions hadn't won prior to that but they'd largely competed, and without Tremain their scrum faltered in a big way in both games and that went a long way to deciding those two results.

Even with a fleeting glance it's easy to pick out an individual star from all the Westfund Ferguson Cup outfits.

But despite them being undefeated on top of the table, Bulldogs' side is full of them, so individually the influence of the Bathurst guns is tough to measure.

Collectively though, the prowess of Bulldogs' pack compared to the rest of the competition is glaringly obvious and it's the main reason the defending premiers are so bloody good.

They're more experienced, they're better technically and they tend to, simply, dominate all who come before them.

Cootamundra battled last year but, like Jordan, Hemopo has played a huge role in leading the Tri-Colours back to the top of the Graincorp Cup South-West Division.

After missing the 2018 finals the Tri-Colours have stamped their authority on the third tiers' southern division this season, running through the opening two months of the competition undefeated.

Centre Mitch Berkrey and fullback Patrick Cameron have also played massive roles in the resurgence and deserve due credit, but put simply without Hemopo leading the side's pack they wouldn't have the chance to be so potent.

A burrowing, barnstorming hooker, Hemopo's been the bedrock for Cootamundra's powerful scrum and has developed a serious knack for finding the stripe in the side's undefeated start to the season.

Deservedly came into Central West contention and is among the competition's player-of-the-year front-runners too.

Outside the fact everyone across the Central West already knows how good these two are, this one's pretty straightforward in terms of 2019.

The Goats have been dominant all season on the back of Kavaefiafi and Pauta, winning all but one game in the opening two months of the season.

That one game was against Molong in round seven, and neither of these two played.

The fuzzy-haired fullback is as handy in general play as any other custodian in the Graincorp Cup's Northern Division but when speaking of influence, we're specifically referring to his booming right boot.

McCarroll's kicking game in general play stands up with any other's across the Central West and he's an absolute sharpshooter from tee.

The Redbacks never have a second thought in taking a shot for goal whenever they're given the chance and he's booted Wellington to victory countless times as a result, that's helped the outfit to second spot.

You've read that correctly, it's not so much Fangupo that's earned a spot this year as his troublesome knee.

He's battled injury all season but has played through and, admittedly, has still been one of the Blowes Clothing Cup's better players whether he's playing halfback or five-eighth.

But he has lacked his usual potency because of that injury, and without their star posing as big a threat as he normally does Forbes have struggled at times, that's where the influence is this time around.

After initially ruling himself out he will make the trip to Tamworth with Central West now, and his knee's probably going to be most focused on joint in Blue Bulls' history as a result.

Forbes actually recruited superbly leading into their debut Westfund Ferguson Cup season and there'd be an easy argument to mount for the likes of her sisters Maggie and Amy to be included, along with Meaghan Kempson, LillyAnn Mason-Spice and Cate Loneragan too.

But the youngest Townsend sister has still been a cut above, she's as well-rounded and classy a play-maker as you'll find in this competition, particularly considering she's as adept in the breakdown as any of the side's forwards.

From their opening round loss to Emus you could tell this Platypi side had plenty about it, Townsend in particular, she was superb that day and played through pain after being cut above the eye early in the clash.

Townsend and her side have continued to show that on their way to seventh, the highest of any of the debut sides.

While the top 10 proved somewhat simple to decipher numbers 11 through 20 on this list was a battle, with plenty of established and emerging stars alike more than putting their hands up over the opening two months of the competition.

As a result, it actually proved too hard to rank them, so you've got a bulk breakdown here on the rest of Central West Rugby Union's most influential players, in no particular order.

In the Westfund Ferguson Cup Temora's NICKY JORDAN has scored 144 of the Tuskers' total tally of 395 points this season and has helped the side look the most likely to take Bathurst Bulldogs' top dog mantle and West Wyalong's KENESHA STEVENS has done similarly spectacular things with ball in hand for the powerhouse Redbacks.

After Claire Woolmington succumbed to injury CSU Bathurst was desperate for someone to stand up and lead from the front in her absence, and RACHEL BROWN has done just that, working her way into player-of-the-year contention as a result.

After finding her feet in the 2018 season MILIKA TUINAKAUVADRA has continued building on the world of promise she showed last year as well, producing powerful efforts on both sides of the ball through her outfit's strong start.

Orange Emus struggled through the opening few weeks of the Blowes Clothing Cup, particularly in terms of front-foot ball. One person who didn't at all was SIMON BADGERY, having fully recovered from a nasty ankle injury in the 2017 season he's been firing on all cylinders.

TIM BERRY has continually been among Cowra's best in their surge to third spot on the ladder and his influence stretches further than the field, while WILL ARCHER has been an excellent pick-up for Dubbo Kangaroos. His no-frills style provides the Roos with mountains of go-forward.

With Fangupo not at his absolute best JARROD HALL has taken it upon himself to try and inspire his Platypi week-in, week-out. He did so at the start of the year in taking on a player-coaching role with Jack Hammond and continues to lead from the front, has an incredible knack for finding the stripe too.

Molong skipper JOSH PEFFER is the heart and soul of the Magpies' pack and deservedly earned a Central West call-up after a bumper effort in New Zealand and through the opening two months of the Oilsplus Cup Northern Division season.

SAM McLEOD has once again been one of Narromine's most consistent week-to-week and his influence can be measured by the fact he wasn't present for the Gorillas' only loss this season, to CSU Bathurst.