It’s going to be a massive day at university for celebrations of premiership success from 40 years ago.

Reddies and their Farrer League counterpart Bushpigs are both holding a reunion for their 1978 premiership wins.

The Bushpigs scored a 14.8 (92) to 10.8 (68) win over Barellan in the Central Riverina League while Reddies took a 18-6 win over Albury.

Almost the entire Reddies team will come together to cheer on the current side as they look to cause a massive boilover against the finals bound Aggies at Beres Ellwood Oval.

Twelve of the starting 15 will be in Wagga for the reunion plus coach Dave Meacham.

With second grade also celebrating their grand final win too players are flying in from Canada, France and the far north of Western Australia for the occasion. 

The club, then known as Riverina College of Advanced Education, was only in its infancy after forming in 1972.

Graeme Dutton was captain of the side in 1978 and has plenty of fond memories from the season.

“It was a great time for the club and started a bit of a golden era,” Dutton said.

“We made semi-final the following year and the grand final the year after that as well.

“We just had a group of real good young blokes coming through the uni.”

The side had five members of the Riverina team who would tour New Zealand after the season and included future Northern Suburbs player Dick Arnott.

The CSU stalwart rates him the best player to come through the club.

“We had three outstanding loose forwards and a back line you’d die for,” Dutton said. “It was a dynamic group of blokes at the five-eighth, Dick Arnott is probably the best player I’ve seen go through the club.

“He played first grade in Sydney after he finished uni and he was just phenomenal.” 

Bruce Graham was part of the Bushpigs success.

Graham was in a different position as a lecturer and taught many of his teammates.

He recalls it was a massive year for sport at the university.

“It was a really enjoyable time,” Graham said.

“Those years all the sports were strong – there was hockey teams, basketball teams, three codes of football – and a really strong sporting fraternity on campus.”

The names of the premiership team are emblazoned of their jumpers for the clash against Temora at Peter Hastie Oval on Sunday.

It was Meacham’s first season at the helm and Dutton thought he brought the best of out the players and of the club after they finished second last the year before

On the field it has been another rough year for CSU.

They’ve only won the two games, both over winless Wagga City, while Ag College have moved to third after four straight wins.

The changing demographic at the university means there is a very different base to draw from than it was in 1978.

However Dutton hopes the big day can inspire a big performance against their closest rivals.

“The first grade players have a big task ahead of them on the field against a pretty red hot Ag College team,” he said. “They have to be careful not to get caught up in the emotion of the day and try and stem the flow.”