From a star-studded Macquarie's title to periods of strength for Parkes and Dubbo CYMS, and then spirited victories for passionate towns of Forbes and Wellington.

It's not easy. But while CYMS may have enjoyed the most success of any club this decade it's also been a memorable chapter in the history of the Forbes Magpies.

The Magpies collected two titles, breaking a 28-year drought in 2016 before getting past CYMS again two years later.

That 2018 grand final was an all-time classic as a late field goal from Farren Lamb secured victory, but the first was the most meaningful for Forbes, as could be seen by the hordes of fans on the ground at full-time.

The Magpies' drought-breaking title, it's next in our Moments That Mattered series.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED:

There wasn't a huge amount of hype around the Forbes Magpies for much of the 2016 season.

They'd floated around the top three for much of the year but finished the campaign in fourth spot.

But it took just one week of finals for the Magpies to show the kind of spirit and guts needed to win at the business end of the season.

In one of countless cracking derby contests, Forbes edged out Parkes 32-26 and they followed that up with a relatively comfortable minor semi-final win over Macquarie.

The Magpies then went into the grand final with momentum after downing Nyngan 30-10 in the preliminary final.

"We can match it with them, for sure," Jake Grace, captain-coach at the time, said ahead of the grand final clash with a CYMS side which was gunning for three successive titles.

Grand final day, September 11 at Apex Oval, was one to remember.

A Claire Barber field goal had settled the league, Kotoni Staggs had run riot in the under 18s grand final and delivered a title in his farewell to Wellington, and CYMS had edged out Macquarie in a bsuiing derby clash in reserve grade.

But the main attraction was something else.

It was filled with drama, with the first of many major moments coming inside two minutes.

Zac Merritt, the standout player in the competition late in the season, collected CYMS stalwart Luke Jenkins high and forced him from the field for virtually the entire game.

The Fishies still managed to lead 10-4 at the break but the Magpies forwards, much to the delight of the Forbes faithful, stepped things up in the second half.

The visitors scored four tries to two in the second stanza, with teenage centre Mitch Andrews' effort with four to go sealing the result.

"On top of the world," Grace said after the win, having also collected the Bob Weir medal for best on ground.

"I couldn't have asked to do it with a better bunch of boys. There were times in that game when we could have let that game slip, the Fishies kept coming hard, but the Magpies came harder and won it.

"They've been the best team all year but honestly we've been working hard...and from the start we believed in ourselves."

Forbes fans seemed to come from everywhere when the final whistle sounded.

Merritt, Grace, and young Andrews in particular were mobbed by fans of all ages as the tears flowed from players and supporters alike.

Jake Grace has enjoyed plenty of success in his career.

The breakthrough win with Forbes followed on from a pair of titles he won with the Albury Thunder during his time in Group 9, while he went on to win another with the Magpies two years later.

That 2018 one was something special, as any grand final decider by a field goal is, but to see so many fans and people from Forbes overcome with emotion after the 2016 success is something which sticks with Grace.

"That [2018 win] was a really big win but to be 100 percent honest the 2016 one was bigger for the club and the community," he said.

"It was the first time we'd beaten CYMS [that season] and a lot of people didn't think that could happen.

"We had the faith. It had been 28 years since Forbes had tasted that so it was a bloody big thing."

The fact Grace spoke about what it meant for the town and community, not just the players, is what made the title special.

Much like the title Wellington win a few years later, this result was about more than just a trophy.

As passionate a rugby league town as they come, from the students at Red Bend through to the most grizzled Magpies Old Boy, Forbes was a place starved of success.

But under the leadership of Grace, the shrewd mind of coach Cameron Greenhalgh, and a mountain of support, the 2016 side changed all that.

"I won two at Albury and that was great and had some great mates there but to do it with the home town and blokes who have been there and tried, blokes like Camo, and it wasn't just us," Grace said.

"It wasn't just the 17 or 20 blokes we used. It was a whole community that won that day. It was something pretty special."

The impact on Forbes was immense.

There's something special about the one-town teams, as we saw this year when Wellington ended its own 25-year premiership drought.

Mitch Andrews, who went on to join the Newcastle Knights junior system after helping Forbes to the 2016 title, could probably still get a free beer in town for his match-winning try.

It's something that matters to virtually everyone in town.

That 2016 win ensured the likes of Grace, Merritt, the tireless Ben Robinson, and many other of the older heads became club greats.

The second win two years later made many legends.

After years of seemingly developing mass junior talent only to see it not transfer through to the seniors, Forbes had a first grade side better than the rest.

With many still part of the squad now, the Magpies have continued to be one Group 11's best teams since that breakthrough title win.

The system Grace and Greenhalgh developed has seen new players slot seamlessly into the side, outside a handful of new recruits who failed to finish the 2018 season with the squad.

Grace led the side to victory again in 2018 before taking a year off from the game.

He recently confirmed he'll be back in 2020, reuniting with Greenhalgh, his teammates, and a community which remains as passionate and as eager for success as it's ever been.