Onkas with Solid Win over Barossa (43-19)
The A grade had a good showing against Barossa this week, putting together a solid defence with some great attacking plays to come away with the win.
The game started with a minute of silence for Onkas Founding Member, Brian Purdell, who passed away this week.
Onkas started with the kick-off heading north in the cloudy and wet conditions. Great pressure on the kick receiver and strong ruckwork drew an early penalty on the 40m mark, which Dusty kicked out on the 22m. The lineout was tapped down at the front and was gathered up by Louie who broke through the line and scored in the corner after just over a minute of play. The conversion was unsuccessful.
Onkas 5 – Barossa 0
Barossa restarted with a high kick, which was contested and knocked on by the Barossa player. A dominant Onkas scrum drove Barossa back and Dusty cleared the ball back to the 30m. Barossa got their first real possession from the line-out, but the Onka line held strong and the game reverted to a kicking contest until Barossa drew a penalty for Onkas offside. Barossa retained possession from a scrappy line-out but Isaac stripped the ball in a tackle and pulled it backwards, where it was gathered but knocked on by Onkas before they could clear.
Some loose play by Barossa and solid defence from Onkas held the visitors from making much ground before they knocked it on in a tackle. Unfortunately, Onkas then repeated this, with several phases not making much ground before a knock-on turned the ball over. The Onka scrum was dominant again, driving Barossa back almost 5m before Kaeden took the ball from the back and cleared with a kick.
Onkas kept the defensive pressure on, forcing some loose throws from Barossa. The ball appeared to pop loose at the back of a ruck and Troy hit the half-back, which resulted in a bit of pushing and an offside call. The Barossa kick put the line-out on the halfway line, but a ‘not straight’ call turned a free kick over to Onkas.
After a few phases, Dusty put the kick deep into the attacking 22m, but Barossa recovered and shrugged a few tackles to make a big run down the sideline. A few pop balls had them looking dangerous, until a tackle forced them out on the Onka defensive 22m line.
The ball was spilled forward in the lineout and Onkas kicked it. Barossa recovered and returned the kick. Tom Davies recovered and returned the ball back to the 22m, chasing down the receiver, tackling him out of play right in front of the Onkas box.
Despite a messy lineout, Onkas retained possession drawing a penalty on the 22m in the middle of the field. The wind caught the penalty kick attempt, pulling it to the left.
Onkas recovered the 22m drop-out with some big hits, before Kaedan took a box kick and was taken out after play. It looked like it might have been a card, but Barossa received a warning. Dusty kicked the resulting penalty deep, but it went dead and we returned for a scrum just outside the 22m. A huge Onkas scrum crashed through Barossa, resulting in a penalty and a lineout just inside the 22m. Onkas lost the lineout and Barossa took the ball wide but ultimately lost it forward in a tackle on the far side 22m. Onkas broke off the back of the scrum and some solid mauling looked promising until Barossa got the turn over and Marios took a head knock and had to leave the field. The scrum restart was almost stolen by Onkas before Barossa kicked it deep and Tom returned it. There were a few phases back and forth before and an Onkas scrum resulted in the ball being spun out wide, and Tom Davies making a break on the far wing. Onkas push some solid forward hits in the centre field before Kaedan and Dusty spun it wide. Cooper crashed over the line for Onkas 2nd try at the 30min mark. Conversion by Dusty was successful.
Onkas 12 – Barossa 0
With 10min to go in the half, the Barossa kick off was knocked on by Onkas. The Onkas scrum drove Barossa back, but their number 8 picked the ball and made a break. As before, the game went back and forth with Barossa being stopped by solid Onkas defence who drew a penalty and cleared to halfway. Onkas struggled again at the line-out resulting in some big runs by Barossa who drew a penalty inside the 22m. Onkas tackled well, until Barossa made a break down the far side and scored under the posts. The conversion was successful.
Onkas 12 – Barossa 7
With 5min remaining, Onkas chased down the kick-off and drew a penalty at the 22m. They opted for a scrum and then spun the ball wide. Some messy rucks drew another penalty and another scrum. Onkas were solid, giving good ball from the back of the scrum, which was passed out to the wing. After a few centre hits, Dusty chipped deep and Onkas recovered. Isaac was twisted in a tackle but managed to pop the ball to Cooper, who scored on the wing. Dusty’s conversion from the sideline was successful.
Onkas 19 – Barossa 7
The Barossa restart was controlled by Onkas, who kicked it deep and Blake chased down the Barossa fullback, forcing a knock-on on the 22m. The ref changed it to a penalty after Barossa mouthed off and then they were marched another 10m. Onkas took a scrum and drove Barossa back. A long pass from Tom Davies found Troy on the wing, but play was brough back to a scrum on the far side of the field. Onka drove the ball right to the line and Tom Selwood crashed over for a try. The conversion was unsuccessful and Onkas went into half-time with a solid lead.
HALF TIME: Onkas 24 – Barossa 7
Barossa started the round with a kick-off, which fell to James Shearer. Onkas knocked on from the ruck and Barossa cleared the scrum, despite a strong push from Onkas. Barossa kicked to the far side 22m and Onkas knocked the ball on in the tackle, resulting in another scrum. The Onka drive was successful this time and the ball was spun out to Dusty, who cleared with a big kick down field. Barossa recovered and kicked back. Their player leapt to take the ball, jumping into the tackler and Onkas were penalised for tackling in the air. Barossa kicked to the 22m and mauled from the line-out, pushing Onkas deep into defence. Some fancy Fijian footwork looked dangerous, before Onkas tackled the Barossa player over the line in front of the Onka box. Onkas won a messy line-out and Dusty cleared the ball to the halfway line.
The Barossa line-out jumper lost the ball in the air and Onkas drew a scrum on the halfway. The scrum drove Barossa back to the 40m line before Kaedan passed to Dusty who kicked deep. Barossa returned the kick and Onkas ran some solid phases before seeming to give away a penalty for a scuffle off play. The ref discussed with both teams and the line ref before settling for an Onkas scrum just inside the attacking 22m. Another strong scrum drive started Onkas attack with some big hitups. This resulted in a high tackle and a yellow card for Barossa. Onkas took a scrum and again drove Barossa back. The ball was spun to the backs and chipped through by Kaedan. Tom Bray had a clear run to recover the ball and score for Onkas on the far wing. Dusty’s conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
Onkas 29 – Barossa 7
The Barossa kick off was gathered by Liam and spun to the backs. A slight overthrow put the ball out on the far side just inside the defence 40m. The Barossa line-out was also overthrown and knocked on, coming back for an Onka scrum. Another big drive, led to a Dusty kick and a big hit from George pushed the Barossa receiver out of play. Unfortunately, Jimmy looked to have pulled a muscle in the chase and was helped from the field. While this was happening there was some pushing off play, resulting in a penalty for Barossa.
Barossa tapped and ran into a solid Onkas defence and knocked on after a few phases. Another big drive led to a Dusty clear that unfortunately went out of the full. The Barossa line out was almost fumbled, but they cleared and drew a penalty for offside. The Barossa kick and led to a maul from the line-out, and Onkas drove it out of play.
Onkas won their line-out but were caught mid-field and eventually cleared through a Dusty kick. Barossa recovered the ball and were hit hard by a solid Onkas defence. Despite some solid tackling by Onkas, Barossa managed a pop from the ground, which caught the defence off-guard and the visitors gained some ground, crashing into the 22m. Onkas looked like they may steal a ruck, but ended up giving away a penalty just inside the 22. Barossa shot the ball wide and used their overlap to run around and score under the posts. The conversion was successful.
Onkas 29 – Barossa 14
Onkas kick fell short, resulting in a midfield scrum. Despite a strong Onkas drive, Barossa got the ball clear and drew a penalty in the next hit-up. The kick didn’t make it out and Onkas regathered, with Blake making a solid run before getting thrown to the ground by his neck. The ref was facing away at the time and didn’t call it. The ball spilled loose, but Onkas recovered and continued to grind up field, drawing a penalty. A fight broke out and resulted in a yellow and red card for Barossa.
With about 15min to go, Onkas called a scrum. For the first time, they were driven back slightly, but held strong and the ball was passed out to the backs before being kicked deep. Barossa recovered and made a break down field, Onkas defended well and returned to eventually drew a scrum inside their attacking 10m. A strong drive pushed Barossa back and George picked from the back of the scrum diving over the line for Onkas 6th try. The conversion was successful (but missed on the scoreboard).
Onkas 36 – Barossa 14
Inside the last 10 minutes, Barossa kicked off and Tom McColl picked up the ball, crashing through the line. An Onka kick was recovered by Barossa who took the ball to the halfway. A slipped tackle followed by a pop ball, gave the visitors some space and they managed a break down the wing to score. Conversion was unsuccessful.
Onkas 36 – Barossa 19
The Onkas kick off was knocked forward by a pressured Barossa player, resulting in a scrum and another big drive from Onkas. Kaedan picked from the back, made some meters and then spun the ball out the backs. The ball was passed to the wing and back midfield before being knocked on. Onkas came back for a penalty and took a scrum just inside their attacking 22. The ball was knocked from Kaedan’s hands at the back of the scrum resulting in another penalty and Barossa being marched 10m for backchat. Onkas passed quickly to big Tommy McColl who crashed up the centre. A loose pass to the backs was regathered but then forced over the touch line. The Barossa player took a quick line-out throw before his team was ready and Jack Robins scooped up the ball taking it forward. He crashed over the line but was held up.
A diving Dusty recovered the goal-line drop out and some Onka phases drew a penalty on the nearside 22m.
Onkas took a scrum and drew another penalty; this time Dusty kicked it out on the 5m line. Onkas took the ball cleanly at the first jumper and mauled forward with James Shearer crossing the line. The conversion was successful.
Onkas 43 – Barossa 19
The Barossa kick-off fell to Tommy and was called up for an offside runner. The game ended there.
Best Player: Nathan Harwood, Voucher: George Hayter
Onka Women - BYE
Onkas Reserves Start Strong but Go Down (12-36)
The Reserves went into half time 7-5 up but struggled to sink the tackles in the second half. Onkas scored the last try to finish 12-36. Tries to Damien Whitton and Tom Bray, Conversion to Declan Booby.
Best Player: Dylan Burke, Voucher: Zac Kirkland
Onka Third Grade Go Down in a Hard Fight (24-40)
Onkas 3rds fought hard but ultimately went down 24-40. Tries to Noel Taylor, Ben White, Justin Rourke and Riley Sturtis (on his first touch in his senior debut). Conversions to Stuart Suter (2).
Best Player: Stuart Suter. Voucher: Nicholas O’Brian