Round 2 - Match Report - Onkas vs Barossa

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

President's Update - Apr 2026

Hi Onka Family,

This is the President's update for April.

The season has well and truly started, with some great games played in the first round against Old Collegians and preparations being made for the next two weeks, which are home games against Barossa and Woodville. The Woodville game is also our Past Players’ Day so we’re hoping to see lots of our club legends down for the games – if you know any past players, please spread the word.

Our juniors had a great start to the season, with solid performances against Old Collegians and good player numbers.

Unfortunately, some of the other clubs are struggling with U16s and U18s numbers and have pulled their teams out of the competition (or merged). This would normally mean more Byes for those age groups, however we have been working with RUSA to ensure that our older juniors get games each week – more info to come through the coaches shortly, but rest assured we will make sure that our juniors get game time.

Seniors have had strong attendance and solid performance at training and on the field, and are looking forward to big games against Barossa this weekend.

Cameron Puplett and I have been working on weekly match reports that we will post up with match results each week – hopefully you saw the one for the Old Collegian’s game. Any feedback or suggestions for future reports are most welcome.

Off the field, the committee has been busy. The old Honour Boards, which were relocated to the player’s race last year, have now been covered with Perspex to protect them, and new Honour Boards for the club are expected next week – so keep an eye out for them, they look great! At the same time we are updating and replacing our sponsor signs at the front of the club.

The gear shed roller door has been ordered and we’re expecting it to be installed in around four weeks’ time. This will make getting equipment in and out of the shed much easier (and safer) and open up that area. We’ve also purchased more rope and poles to allow us to rope off both fields in line with RUSA regulations – please stay outside of the roped areas on game day.

We are looking at some upgrades to fridge space for both the canteen and the BBQ, which will make buying and prepping food and drinks for Thursdays and Saturdays a lot easier.

We had a power issue last Thursday night (2 April), which caused the club to be shut down early. The Power company have repaired the fault, and we now have all the fridges and cool-rooms up and running. Thanks to members who stored the food in their home freezers until we could get the canteen up and running again.

The club website has now been updated with all the current news, as well as fixtures, coaching lists and other details.

One thing that I feel is very important is to remember and respect the club history. As part of the working bee – we cleaned and sorted the old documents that were stored in the office, some from the very early days of the club. I have scanned over 800 files, including old newspaper articles, pictures, team lists, minutes etc and plan to purchase a club network hard-drive to store these on. I have also added a big section to the website on club history. Based on an original document by Colin Talbot (that I believe Matt Whitton added to), as well as some of the old documents, RUSA paperwork and other snippets I located, it captures the birth of the club including pictures, newspaper reports and other facts. Check it out at [https://www.onkarugby.com.au/club-history](https://www.onkarugby.com.au/club-history) and feel free to provide any feedback, updates or suggestions.

I am also intending on adding a section to the website on our named club awards with details on who they are named after as well as what the criteria are for winning them.

There was also a requirement put on us to update the club constitution to bring it in line with the Sports and Recreation templates and guidelines, which give it a more professional look. I have made these updates and hope to send the updated constitution out to the wider Onka club community for feedback. Once we are happy with it, I will call a Special General Meeting to get it approved. I have captured a list of all changes and mapping between the old and new to show how they line up. More on this shortly.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions please message me or talk to me at the club.

Round 1 - Match Report - Onkas vs Old Collegians - 28 Mar 2026

Onkas keep fighting in tough battle (20-35)

The A grade were put to the test against last year’s undefeated minor premiers and fought to the final whistle in a game that could have gone either way.

The boys started with the physicality that they have been training. With a great take by Ryan Evans from the kick-off, Onkas crashed the ball forward eventually drawing a couple of penalties that pushed Old Collegians back deep into their half.  A rare mistake at the line-out by Onkas gave Colls the chance to push forward and despite some great defensive lines from Onkas, Old Colls finally managed to break through for the first points of the game just after the 6-minute mark.

Onkas 0 – Old Colls 7

Onkas hit back hard at the kick-off, forcing Old Colls to lose the ball over the side-line. After another great lineout, Onkas crashed the ball forward, breaking the defensive line before drawing a penalty right in front of goal. Dusty Loffler slotted the penalty.

Onkas 3 – Old Colls 7

Some great pressure by the Onkas forwards drew a penalty a few hits after the kick-off but the ball was turned over from a knock on in the lineout. Onkas defended strongly with some big tackles, eventually drawing a penalty for Old Colls holding on.

The game seesawed back and forth for the next 10 minutes, with Onkas defence holding strong and drawing multiple turnovers and penalties from the Colls attackers. Onkas played territory, kicking the ball long and forcing Old Colls backwards. An Old Colls penalty gave the visitors a chance to advance and the Onkas defence held until a number of Old Colls phases drew Onkas in and Old Colls managed to break the line on the far side wing in the 21st minute.

Onkas 3 – Old Colls14

For the next ten minutes, Old Colls continued to pepper the Onkas defensive line, but Onkas held and eventually a dead-ball kick by Old Colls led to an Onkas scrum. A long kick was knocked on by the Colls defender, and a strong Onkas scrum put the Red Devils back into attack. The rest of the half was back-and-forth with the defence for both sides holding out.

HALF TIME: Onkas 3 - Old Colls 14

Onkas started the second half, hard chasing down the Old Colls kick receiver and crashing into the defensive line with some big hits. Just before the second minute of the half ticked over, an Onkas maul crashed over the line with Jack Robins scoring the try and Dusty Loffler converting.

Onkas 10 – Old Colls 14

A fight broke out from the kick-off after Ryan Evans was taken out in the air by the Old Colls defender, leading to a yellow card for the Collegians player. The penalty put Onkas back on the offensive and a defensive penalty by Colls allowed Dusty Loffler to slot another 3 points from the 40m line.

Onkas 13 – Old Colls 14

Onkas continued hit hard against a shocked Old Colls team using a series of penalties to push deep into attack. A missed catch from Colls and a kick through looked promising for Onkas but trickled over the line before it could be recovered, and a break by Troy Wilkins was called back from an earlier offside. Despite some strong defence, Old Collegians broke through the Onkas line stretching their lead.

Onkas 13 - Old Colls -21

Old Collegians attacked hard on the restart, but Onkas held them, eventually drawing a penalty and pushing back. But a Collegian runner managed to break a few tackles and scored.

Onkas 13- Old Colls 28

With 10 minutes remaining, the Onka boys kept up the pressure attacking from within the 5m line, drawing multiple penalties and looking to score on the far wing, before the referee called that the ball had gone dead. Old Collegians managed a quick turn-around, breaking down the field for a try.

Onkas 13 – Old Colls 35

Onkas finished strong, never dropping their heads. With three minutes to go, Dusty put a kick deep into attack and Collegians returned it to just outside the 22. Some strong drives from the line out and big hits from the backs pushed Onkas forward, drawing a penalty 5m out. The ball was kicked out and the Onkas lineout led to a good set of hit ups, with Kaedan O’Neill crashing over for the points.

Onkas 20 – Old Colls 35.

Onkas never looked out of the game and their physicality and defensive line work showed some real positives for the start of the season.

Best Player: Marios Theodosi

 

Onka Women get big win over Old Collegians (74-14)

With good squad numbers and some great ball work, the Onkas women came away with a 74-14 win, with tries to Ashley John (3), Caitlin Purton (2), Jade Pilkington (2), Danielle Paenga (1), Caity Williams (1), Leah Chothia (1), Grace Fitzsimmons (1) and Cheyenne Chilton (1) and conversions to Ashley John (7).

Best Player:  Caity Williams. Voucher: Danielle Paenga

 

Onkas Reserves have a rough day (5-57)

The depleted Reserves fought hard but ultimately went down 57-5 with a try to Dylan Mostyn.
Best Player: Taylor Marangavis

 

Onka Third Grade defeat Old Collegians (24-14)

Onkas Third Grade started the season well with a solid 24-14 win over Old Collegians. Tries to Ben White (2), Noel Taylor and Nicholas O’Brien and conversions to Noel Taylor (2).

Best Player: Ben White. Voucher: Tom Puplett

President's Update - Mar 2026

Hi Onka Family,

This is the President's update for March.

The start of the season is drawing closer to the first game. We start the season with three home games against some good teams, so it will be a massive start. First game is 28th March vs Old Collegians.

Our touch football season has finished up with some big finals and some great games. Congratulations to the winning teams, thanks to all who refereed, played and supported and a huge thanks to Bob, Terry and Matt for organising it.

Our team numbers are looking great, the women's team now has 22 registered players, with more to come - a huge increase from 14 last year. We currently have 120 registered seniors and 170 juniors, but this will increase as we get closer to the first game. If you're not registered yet, please get it done, as it covers you for insurance and lets us confirm numbers. If you're not registered we can't add you to team lists.

Last weekend we played a trial match from U12s-Premier grade with some great results and some awesome rugby played. Our premiers are looking sharp and fit after a tough pre-season.

We also welcome Ross to the the coaching group with Rhys for premiers. They have been working the boys hard, but the results are showing on the field. We also welcome Tom Davies to the team, over from the UK and filling a much needed spot in the back line.

We also now have a HUDL camera, which will record most of the games played through all grades. We are just making the final setup changes and then should be able to make the game videos available.

In off-field news, we have now placed the order for the new panel roller door for the equipment shed, which will make storage of training equipment much easier (and safer) and expect that in the next 4-6 weeks. I have been working on a business plan, which captures our club goals and the actions we need to achieve them and this is something we will be looking into - including improving player depth, recruitment and retention, adding to club finances and building the success of the club. RUSA and the presidents group have also been meeting to finalise the U12s and women's competition structure as well as locking in the setup for the year. RUSA have really been on the ball this year, looking at ways to build and improve the competition.

We have a working bee this weekend (14th) to get the club in order for the start of the season and many hands make light work, so lets get as many out to help as we can. We also have a few more trial games for juniors lined up.

Its been a great start to the season and my next update will be after our first game. As always, if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions please message me or talk to me at the club.

Onkas vs Woodville Trial Game Results

Some great rugby at Onkas today to shake off the cobwebs and get ready for the start of the season.

Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers, coaches, players and supporters who made the day a huge success.

Some great wins and some gutsy losses, made for a great day of rugby with some really positive signs moving forward and highlighting some areas where we can improve over the next few weeks before we kick off the season proper.

Thanks to Woodville for some great games.

Bring on the season!

Premier Mens:
Onka def Woodville - 28-5

Premier Women:
Woodville def Onkas - 32-12

U18s:
Woodville def Onkas 53-19

U16s:
Woodville def Onkas 42-12

U14s:
Onkas def Woodville

U12s:
Onkas def Woodville

Matt Cockbain visits Onkas

Exciting times are ahead for Onkas as we start to gear up for the World Cup.

With cooperation of Rugby SA, Onkas are getting a visit from 1999 World Cup winning Wallaby, Matt Cockbain - player of over 60 international tests for the Wallabies and now coach of GPS Rugby club in Brisbane.

Due to the tempo of these World Cup events, we have a bit of a short notice - The event is this Friday 6th Feb, starting at 6pm down the club.

We're opening the bar, canteen and hosting a BBQ as well as running some junior touch games and trainings.

Matt Cockbain will be available for photos, informal chats with kids, coaches and players and may even host a Q&A.

We hope to see as many people there as possible to celebrate the countdown to the World Cup and make Matt welcome to our club for the evening.