23rd August

U10s at Tregenza

Old Collegians 35 v Vikings 40

Scorers: Venetia 3, Oliver, Patrick, Rhys, Liam 1 each

Team restructuring around absences as, once again, injuries and illness robbed us of a full squad on the pitch, may have contributed to the slow start. Giving up the first 3 tries certainly wasn't the best opening, and the 5 tries to 3 deficit at half time, left plenty of work for the second stanza.

Work they did however, managing 4 tries to 1 in the first 16 minutes of the second half, to edge in front for the first time, with only 4 minutes left on the clock. Here is where the fatigue factor became an issue, with some missed tackles and handling errors creeping into the play, resulting in the equalizer from Vikings and then the sealer in the dying minutes.

Many positives can be taken away from the game, with all players making valuable contributions at times. Hard running and harder tackling from both teams made this a really enjoyable spectacle. Venetia continues to bamboozle the opposition, and to watch her weave her way through heavy traffic with relative ease was amazing. To watch Rhys cross for a try resulting from a new set play introduced just this week, shows just how hard this team is working at putting training into practice.

Tackler/Effort of the Week Award: Jointly awarded to Elliot, Charlie, Oliver

... Tim Wall Co coach, Manager

 

16th August

U10s, at Parkinson:

Old Collegians 5 v Burnside 15

Scorer: Joseph

Old Collegians 5 v NEDs 15

Scorer: Venetia

In far better conditions than last week, our team was able to show what they are truly made of. Both of this week's opposition sides have had the better of us this year, but in pushing them fiercely for the whole game, our team have showed that they can match it with any side. We struggle to field a full side at the best of times, against sides boasting significant advantage, both in numbers and size. For our players to all play out the full 2 games and hold their own, week in, week out, is truly an achievement of which to be proud, both personally and as a club.

A bit of a baptism of fire for our new team member Tom, and despite his unfamiliarity with the game, he, Like Evan earlier in the season, shows promise for future games. All players made strong contributions, but especially Joseph, who truly led from the front today. His fierce tackling and slashing runs, helped lift the intensity of effort from the whole squad.

Tackler/Effort of the Week Award: Joseph

... Tim Wall Co coach, Manager

 

9th August

U10s, At Waite No.2

Old Collegians 5 v Brighton 25

Scorer: Joseph

Old Collegians 5 v Burnside 55

Scorer: Joseph

Severely undermanned and played in atrocious pitch and weather conditions, both games were always going to be a hard slog. Against quality opposition, having only 2 of our regular forwards available meant a real struggle in the rucks and mauls. This was particularly evident against Burnside, who, having a formidable pack, were often able to brush our smaller players aside. Further reduced in numbers through injury, the team, never the less, refused to throw in the towel. The conditions certainly curtailed our usual running game as it was all anyone could do to actually achieve forward momentum, so to score in each game, against the run of play was commendable. Well done to everyone for a solid effort in extremely tough conditions.

Tackler/Effort of the Week Award: Evan

... Tim Wall Co coach, Manager

 

2nd August

Old Collegians U10 30 V University 5

Scorers: Joseph 2, Venetia 2, Liam 1, Rhys 1

Old Collegians U10 15 V Vikings 5

Scorers: Joseph 1, Venetia 1, Oliver 1

Played in muddy, boggy conditions, both games showed how far this team has progressed this season. Against good quality opposition, their commitment to each other and hard work shone through. With unrelenting defensive pressure, neither Uni, nor Vikings were allowed space or time to set up any continuity in their play. By contrast, our team often found both space and time to execute many of the set plays introduced at training in recent weeks, the majority of which worked almost perfectly. Our forwards continue to improve week by week, and have become a very real asset to the team structure, with much of our attack now launched on the back of their strong work around the ground. Rhys has been a strong contributor for much of the season, but his efforts are now being matched by Callum and Elliott, with Evan also developing quickly. The rise of the forwards in recent weeks has added strength and stability to a team previously overly dependent on the backs.

Tackler/Effort of the Week Award: Callum

... Tim Wall Co coach, Manager

 

27th July

Old Collegians 0 v Onkas 20

A very disappointing result although amongst others the referee commented on the closeness of the game. It was also pleasing to get very positive feedback from the very experienced referee concerning the spirit in which the game was played.

The team always looked under pressure, some imposed by Onkas, but a considerable amount self imposed with silly handling errors, generally poor ball security and a very large number of penalties were given away. Although the scrum did well, the tight 5 as a unit did not do well at the break down and left the breakdown and the rucks more often than not to be contested by the backs.

Best players Macklin, van Altena and Barrett

...Michael Barrett

 

19th July

U16s Old Collegians 36 v Brighton 0

A very dispirited Brighton team was overwhelmed by the Old Collegians team in very cold, we and miserable conditions. Brighton spent very little time in the OC Half and resorted to kicking to touch in order to take advantage of some weaknesses in our line out. Good play by the backs. Brighton stayed in the game with a significant number of handling errors by our team largely brought about by the wet conditions and a greasy ball.

Tries to Ware, Sambanis (2), van Altena and Laurendi.

Best players Sambanis, van Altena, Laurendi and Barrett

Old Collegians U10 40 v Elizabeth 0, at Brighton

Scorers:: Joseph 2, Liam 2, Charlie 2, Rhys, Venetia

With Elizabeth only having 6 players, this game turned out to be a bit of a training run, providing an opportunity to practice some open field team tactics.

Elizabeth, to their credit, tackled strongly and threatened at times, with some good line breaks, but without support from the forwards, their breakaways yielded no result, being run down well short of the line. In stark contrast, the OCs were able to move the ball freely and team work was very much to the fore. The dash was still there, but more inclusively, with the ball shared around much more than previously. Stoppage and breakdown play worked efficiently, with quick ball movement resulting in many breakaways of our own, many of which were successful. The most satisfying passages of play however, were the ones involving the team working as a unit, with the forwards bullocking the ball forward for the backs to finish off. Arguably the play of the day, did not result in the main playmaker scoring. Callum taking a penalty tap, broke through several tackles and, with support coming from Rhys and Evan, mauled the ball to within meters of the goal line before meeting opposition strong enough to slow them down.

Enter the backs and a near perfect offload by Callum for the very richly deserved try. A triumph for team play. Smallest player - biggest tackles;

Tackler of the week ... Liam

... Tim Wall Co coach, Team Manager

Old Collegians U10 10 v Uni 10

Scorers:: Joseph 1, Liam 1

Our first meeting with Uni for the year and a slightly disappointing result after the efforts of the last few weeks. Only having 8 players available certainly didn't help. A sluggish start, coupled with good pressure from the opposition meant that we never really got into top gear. Once switched on, the team game began to flow more like that which we have become used to, but punctuated by small lapses, which allowed 2 relatively easy tries to Uni. Tries to Joseph and Liam were mainly individual efforts, which, whilst good for the score line, ignored the support offered by team mates, which would have made scoring easier. Whilst it is exciting to see those individual slices of brilliance, our focus is currently on the team game, still allowing for those individual moments when they present themselves. A good effort to get back into the game, but slow starts against better opposition will make for a very long road back.

... Tim Wall Co coach, Team Manager

 

12th July

by Norm Daploom

1st Grade

Burnside 25 v Old Collegians 29

Best Player: Leigh Rebbeck

Tries: Xander Evans (2), Ben Suttell, Sam Oughton, Peter Cross

Conversions: Juan Aguiar, Ben Suttell

At last the boys return to form!

Pack mentality ruled the day. Our Dominant Eight called the shots from start to finish, barring a couple of brief naps.

Actually, I need to have a word about that. The whole team took a nanna-nap for the last 20 minutes of the game when they were two tries up and thought they had the game in the bag. What's worse, the Burnside captain could be heard behind the try-line telling his team we were about to take the foot off the gas and that if they fought back hard and scored twice they'd have us yet, and they damn near did. As a result, we let them back in the game and generously gave them a couple of bonus points. Finals are close and the Premiership Ladder is tight between 2nd and 6th; are we such good sportsmen that we're trying to even it up even more?

Other than that, the game was a much better outing for OC than the last few which were so dire in patches that I couldn't be bothered writing reports.

The first try from OC was a simple classic slide from Cross at flyhalf, putting it down under the posts for an easy conversion for El Pablo Magnifico. This was followed by a team wide effort of strong phase work and good ball movement ending in Xander Evans carrying it over the line. The next two tries came from the sweat of the forwards as they mauled it inexorably onwards. The momentum carried the ball over the line twice, once for Xander Evans again and once for Ben Suttell. This is testimony to the pack reclaiming their pride and strength after a lapse of a few weeks. The last try of the game was by Sam Oughton following a line out and some good lead up work by Rebbeck and Collins. Most of Burnside's strength came from a pair of strong backs - Mika (not the Souths one, another one) and Tim Lough. We let both of them have more space and time than they deserved.

Honourable mentions must go to Xander Evans, Tom Moon (why do they call him Bear?), Peter Cross and Leigh Rebbeck all of whom worked hard throughout. The backline looks more balanced with Cross at fly-half but handling is still a little rusty along the line with too much ball going to ground. Leigh Rebbeck and Juan Aguiar (usually outside centre and wing) are doing well at their new jobs at inside and outside centre. I can hear all you front row forwards asking what the hell difference there is between the three positions; trust me, they're different. Leigh Rebbeck was Man of the Match for his physicality, courage and work-rate. He came off the field in the last few minutes, bleeding and confused. It suits him.

2nd Grade

Burnside 3 v Old Collegians 12

Best Player: Charlie Neate

Tries: Alex Berce, Henry Winter

Conversion: Stewart Douglas

Our second grade notched up another good win. Better than that they are good fun to watch and show a lot of enthusiam, creativity and flair. The penalty count was high this week leading to a disjointed game through no fault of either team but it was nevertheless a good contest and a good display.

I gather that we were lacking a few of our regular second grade backs for this game. At least, that's the easiest way to explain the presence of a couple of boys most recently seen in the First Grade scrum playing at inside centre (James Finkemeyer) and wing (Alex Berce). It was a successful experiment. They both performed well and did not often look out of position, other than a certain wistful look on their faces when a ruck was nearby. Berce scored the first try "Lomu style", ploughing through wingers, centres, forwards and everything short of brick walls. The second try came after another bust through run, this time by Finkemeyer, which set up a series of excellent phases across the board eventually putting Henry Winter over the line.

Henry Nutt the Pirouetting Prop, bounced and rolled through the defence like a demented pinball, Jo Suttell added his characteristic old school mongrel to the pack, Rory Sheppard gave great chat and Charlie Neate improves with every game (and he was pretty good to start with). Finally, it was great to see Disco Douglas back on the field and at flyhalf. The biggest upset of the round was that he managed to play the whole game. For 80 minutes the sideline supporters waited with baited breath to hear the twang of his muscles snapping but it never came and the sweep had to be abandonned. The word is that Doc Douglas has his money on a half time exit. Seriously though, he had a very solid game and he and Jo Suttell added experience, structure and direction to the youthful team's energy and spirit.

U16s Old Collegians 65 v Souths 7

In a demonstration of fast running and aggressive rugby, the team made its way back to the winner's circle after the disappointment with Onkas.

We managed to avoid a forfeit only through Ben Blackall taking the field even though injured and having to wear some South's shorts. The forwards as a unit were a little sluggish and in particular were not at the break down on a regular basis. This week it was the turn of the backs to dominate against an ill disciplined and fractitious competitor in what became a very one sided game towards the end of the first half.

Tries to Linder -Patton, Van Altena, Macklin (2), Lovelady, Laurendi (2), Armonstrong, Verlato and Sambanis (2).

Best players Blackall, Linder-Patton, Macklin, Verlato and McNeilage.

Old Cols U14 (17) v Burnside U14 (7)

With painful memories of the drubbing handed out by Burnside for the first game of the season, the fine win against Onkas seemed longer than a week ago when Old Cols U14s stepped onto Parkinson Oval on Saturday. In what started off as a very physical and tight encounter, the new look U14 team prevailed against a very tough opponent with particularly aggressive forward and counter-rucking play. Burnside played to their strengths early on by constantly attacking the blindside but committed defence saw them rarely crossing the gain line. The lack of penetration turned to frustration as the Burnside pack gave away a number of penalties early on allowing Old Cols to re-group. Having learned from previous experiences under pressure, the tide slowly turned and a well-executed switch in the middle saw Smith making ground deep into the opposition half. Burnside however used the wind to their advantage and kicked the ball 60 meters putting Old Cols back under pressure. Subsequent support play saw the ball moved wide for Burnside to cross the try line and score against the run of play.

Old Cols however sensed they had ruffled a few feathers and the second half proved to be the U14's finest display of the season so far. Having endured a punishing defensive 40 minutes with an impressive tackle count, Macklin and Bautz on the flanks supported by a motivated pack provided some excellent ball, which when moved out wide, allowed the backs to display some swift and powerful running. Quick hands out to Alex Imber at full back saw him use his power and speed to dive over the line to put Old Cols onto the score sheet. A fine try by Bautz followed soon after to take The College to an unexpected lead. Some fine tactical kicking kept Burnside pinned in their half and further good ball out to the backs saw Ollie LP take a long awaited text book step in and then back outside the speedy full back. The fastest Burnside player on the pitch could only watch his heels as L-P glided in under the posts. The conversion by Hodgson meant that Burnside had to score twice and with only minutes left of the game they threw everything they had at Old Cols who stood their ground denying any further score by the opposition.

Old Cols U14s stepped off Parkinson Oval having come together as a team.

A job very well done.

Try Scorers: Imber, Bautz, Linder-Patton. Conversion x 1 by Hodgson

Old Collegians U10s 15 v Vikings 20, at Waite No.2

Scorers: Joseph 1, Venetia 1, Liam 1

A disappointing result, especially since, the game was only lost after full time, when an opposition break away from a penalty was not chased down, resulting in the winning try. Apart from that lapse, the atrocious weather conditions meant that lethargy was also a factor at the start. Not being switched on, especially in defence, cost any early try.

To their credit, the team rallied, and indeed gained the ascendancy for long periods, only to give up easy points, which undid all of their hard work. No real stand out moments in this game, apart from the much improved defensive efforts as the game progressed. None more notable than the tackling of Oliver and Charlie.

... Tim Wall, Co coach, Team Manager

Old Collegians U10 10 v Souths 10, at Waite No.2

Scorers: Joseph 1, Venetia

Once again the U/10's have shown the benefit of a focus on ball retention and recycling at training. The work rate of all players was excellent, and of course, holding possession certainly didn't hurt either. You know that things are going right when even the opposition coach comments on the team's improved efforts. Joseph and Venetia as well as having that ability to finish with a bit of dash, benefited from strong team work to get them into scoring positions. This is easily our best result against a team that always plays a strong team game. A great big pat on the back to ALL players, for a super effort. WELL done everyone Unable to split them;
Tacklers of the week: Charlie & Oliver.

... Tim Wall Co coach, Team Manager

 

5th July

U16s: OCs 10 v Onkas 17

In what was a terrific and tight game of Rugby, our team was defeated in the last ten minutes or so being then 10 - 5.

It was the usual high quality Onka performance matched by our own. Unfortunately Onka aggression, some puzzling decisions by the match officials and some of our players being shut down by Onkas was the deciding feature. The usually dominant backs had a difficult day although the forwards, played very well both in the scrummage and at the break down.

The team was really disappointed and felt the pain of the loss - the first one this year - deeply. All of them are looking forward to the return fixture.

One thing from the game is that Onkas management and coaching staff made it clear that we were the best competition they had faced for some time and they had been worried about the game.

Best players; Barrett, Posala Verlato and van Altena; Tries Barrett and Posala.

... Michael Barrett

U14s: OCs 25 v Onkas B 7

This was a cracking game, played the way rugby should be played. Hard, fast and open. There was hardly a high tackle to be seen! A great effort by both sides.

Onkas came out hard but were stopped in their tracks by a resolute Old Collegians defence who found some bite to their tackles. However, we were soon in our stride and dominated the play. Strong running and good support play laid the foundations to an excellent first half.

The second half was a little more even and Onkas edged their way back into the game thanks to some weak defence by us and strong running by them. It began to feel like last week's game against NEDS, but to their credit, the team did not allow their heads to drop. They settled their play and started working together again as a team. We look dangerous when we get the ball out wide and in spite of a rocky spell when the ball was taken at standstill, we were able to finish the game strongly with a super score by Ollie L-P.

Great effort and a good win!

... Simon Macklin

U10: OCs 10 V Onkas 35, at Brighton

Scorers: Joseph 1, Venetia 1

Being a relatively small side, we were at a decided disadvantage against Onkas, some of whom were definitely intimidating in size. This made for a hard slog defensively, but we still gave it everything, even if it wasn't always effective. Apart from their size, Onkas always moves the ball well too, which can make for a very tough day at the office. Having given away a sizable early lead, our players fought back really well to put on consecutive tries to Joseph and Venetia (once again with runs from inside our own half). It was unfortunate that we copped some injuries later in the game, which limited our ability to respond to the increased physical challenges being faced.

Over all the players can be well pleased with their efforts in this game as they faced up to a squad bigger in size and numbers, and still made them work for the result. Playing most weeks without any reserves against squads with significantly greater numbers presents a huge challenge to all. To see them achieve their recent results has been a credit to the cohesion and tenacity of a playing group in whom we can all be proud.

U10s: Old Collegians 15 v Brighton 10, at Brighton

Scorers: Joseph 2, Venetia 1

Once again the U10s have shown the benefit of focus at training on ball retention and recycling. The work rate of all players was excellent, and of course, having the majority of possession certainly didn't hurt either. You know that things are going right when even the referee comments on the team's improved efforts. Joseph and Venetia once again showed that a bit of dash doesn't go astray as all 3 tries came from well within our own half. A great big pat on the back for ALL players, as there were no passengers at all. WELL done everyone

... Tim Wall Co coach, Team Manager

 

28th June

U14s, OC 19 v NEDS 24

After last week's game against Brighton and having narrowly lost to NEDS on the first meeting a few weeks ago, we approached this game with high hopes. The first half was a continuation of the game against Brighton. Strong running by the backs with good support play from the forwards saw us go to the break 19-5 up. Our concentration lapsed in the second half and we lost the confidence in the tackle contest. NEDS had a strong back line which had been kept under wraps in the first half but took advantage of our defensive frailty in the second half. They cut loose scoring 19 unanswered points. We had territory and possesion but were unable to get over the line. We learnt some important lessons - concentration, team-work - but will come back stronger than before.

U12s, OC 20 v NEDs 30

Trys: Rick Wilkinson 3, Hudson Pitt 1

Started out well with OC all over the players and then an intercept by Peter almost saw us score under the posts but only for some good defence by NEDs kept us out.

NEDs were able to hold out and then using their outside backs managed to get down the end of the field and score. An almost identical move, despite some good tackling, saw them score again with Cameron making a lunging dive slowing the last player but unfortunately getting a boot in the jaw which saw him off for the rest of the game.

Retaining possession for a period kept us in the game and saw us score and, despite another try by NEDs, the line of defence came up quick and Rick managed to intercept a loose pass for a great try under the posts to give the crowd hope.

Our forwards picked it up in the next half but fitness seemed to show. Rick and Hudson managed to pick up 2 tries after Nick worked it wide. However, the best try of the day was when NEDs tried a sneaky kick-off and Sam picked it up, side-stepped through 8 of NEDs players and finished with a dive over the try line! Unfortunately, the ref didn't see the kick-off and didn't allow it. From the re-start after good work by the forwards, Isaac picked up a loose ball from the base of the maul and made a great blind side run half the length of the field only to be pushed into touch when trying to link with his winger. Special mention to Luke Howes who had a great 1st game as hooker and was in the thick of it defending and supporting the tackle ball.

In summary, our skill level with the ball in hand was on par with Neds but we lacked fitness. The player support and passing has improved and tackling and covering also meant they only scored once from set plays. Further practice on team work and positional play will help the team to continue to grow and develop as a unit and in time, individuals will gain confidence in their team mates and not try to do everything themselves.

There has been a great improvement in effort, team work and attitude over the past 2 games and the players should be congratulated on the way they have performed in 2 difficult fixtures.

Well done boys, keep it going and you will get the results you deserve.

...Alan Burgess

U10s: Old Collegians 40 v Elizabeth 10, at Parkinson

Scorers: Joseph 2, Venetia 2, Callum1, Rhys 1, Oliver 1, Liam 1

What an effort the team put in for this one.

Just about every effort resulted in territorial gain or similar benefit. The defensive pressure was superb, with Venetia once again leading the way, closely followed by every other player making sure the ball came to ground and giving opportunity for winning the ball from the ruck, which occurred several times. In attack, the recycling of the ball went almost flawlessly with Elizabeth not being allowed near the ball, so good were our forwards in getting to the ruck in support of the ball carrier, giving plenty of time for the back line to position themselves to best advantage.

Effective ball movement from the contest was definitely a key factor in this win, with practiced moves working to near perfection. All four of Joseph and Venetia's tries resulted from that now familiar sprint to the line from inside our own half, whilst evading numerous defenders. Liam plays in a similar mould, and whilst he, like the others, finds himself on the receiving end of some big tackles, he is also more than capable of producing those devastating runs to the line. Callum and Rhys both produced the goods again and were justly rewarded with a try apiece, while Oliver also finished off some fine team work with a piece of individual flare. Evan, who only joined the squad recently, continues to improve, making some valuable territory and also several good tackles.

... Tim Wall Co coach, Team Manager

U10s: Old Collegians 10 v NEDS 20, at Parkinson

Scorers:

Joseph 1, Callum/Rhys 1

What a difference a week makes.

Except for a slow start, the team really showed the value of our focus on ball retention and recycling during the week. So effective was most of the tackling, that NEDS much bigger forwards, only had limited influence on the game. Not everything went according to plan, with some tackles still lacking in intensity, and turnovers from ball handling errors, mostly through defensive pressure, costing us at times.

Set plays and ball movement from the ruck and also from scrum/line outs started to work well, creating run out wide, and starting to stretch the defense late in the game. Joseph's try was a typical trademark run, beating several defenders attempted tackles. The other try resulted from good honest grunt and grind from our steadily improving forwards Callum and Rhys. Their combined effort in gaining the ball about 5 metres out and mutual support in bullocking their way over the line against strong defense was inspirational. Since even they aren't sure exactly who had hands on the ball at grounding, they share this try on combined effort alone. Venetia was the unanimous choice for the coaches' award for best tackler of the week, with several superb efforts against players much bigger than herself.

... Tim Wall Co coach, Team Manager

 

21st June 2008

by Norm Daploom

Premier Grade

Southern Suburbs 13 v Old Collegians 6

Best Player: Todd Grant;

Penalties: Todd Grant (2)

If you blinked (twice) and missed the fleeting moments when Souths had the ball and scored you would have thought we were all over this game. We certainly had a mountain possession, but nothing came of it.

There was a lot of good phase play but we couldn't manage to land the needed knockout punch. Having hoped for drastic improvements once the Falcons returned we instead find our state forwards a bit lethargic. Line outs were good again but scrums were still suspect and we were wheeled too often. In the forwards, Xander Evans and Paul Reynolds had good games and would have achieved more with more support around them.

The back line was lacking any spark. We were trying to run it wide without first going forward and were caught behind the gain line by Souths' Declan Scragg (who has now moved to the Gold Coast, and good riddance). Jon Collins made his first appearance for Old Collegians' backline. Despite the raised eyebrows from those who think of Jon as only a forward, he played a solid game in the centres. There's no doubt he will do better when the new line up grows accustomed to each other. The new back line also featured Todd Grant in his No. 10 debut, Will Sadler at fullback and Peter Cross as winger. Although those boys are all relatively new to those positions, there was a glimmer of potential. The coming weeks will tell whether anything comes of that potential.

Ultimately, we lost the ball too often at crucial moments of the game, throwing away the try scoring opportunities which should have won it for us.

Second Grade

Old Colls 20 v Souths 7

Tries: Simon Allport, Sam Oughton, Charlie Neate;

Pen: James Hayden; 

Convs: James Hayden

Best Player: Simon Allport

After the chaos of the last month, a unit is emerging from the confusion - and it's a unit of youth, skill and pace to which Souths had no response. A good first half set up a deserved win, but given that Souths is bottom of the ladder and had little to throw at us, we really ought to have walloped them by a lot more and grabbed a bonus point in the process.

Simon Allport, missing last week and stitches only recently out, had an immediate impact on the game. There is definitely some 'Mad Dog' in this one. Our pack worked hard and was hungry and stole possession for the flowing backline. This pressure brought about tries. Simon Allport scored the first as he charged down a kick. Sam Oughton, in an 80 minute cameo appearance, scored twice in quick succession. Unfortunately, the referee disallowed the first in circumstances which aggrieved the OC coach to the brink of aneurism. Charlie Neate snagged the third.

After the break, the Souths team lifted but couldn't break through despite a long period of possession, due to multiple consecutive penalties against the OC boys. At this point Collegians took their foot of the gas long enough to become a little lazy mentally, allowing Souths to cross for their only score of the game.

In the final twenty minutes, reserves came on and found themselves enjoying the foundation laid by the starting fifteen. Ben Mattsen fitted back into the blue and red quickly after a few years away, and managed in the process to take the field in all four senior grades today.

Though the entire team played well, standout performers were Simon Allport and Austin Wakeham in the forwards, James Hayden at five eight and Charlie Neate at inside centre.

All in all, this was a good performance but not perfect, and must be a starting point for a strong run into the finals, which are only ten games away.

Third Grade

Old Collegians 22 v Woodville 10

Best Player: Jeremy Thewlis

Third grade played well and it was good to see them get a strong win on the boards. There was very good continuity in patches and Matt Fuss' try was a great example of that. It came from a long series of good phase play which sucked in defenders, with everyone doing the basics well. Well done!

Fourth Grade

Southern Suburbs 27 v Old Collegians 5

Best Player: Ian Bircher

I didn't see this game myself but I'm told effort and commitment was good but basic skills and communication were lacking. That sounds to me like a team who aren't training together. I suspect they're not. It won't get better until they do.

Women's Grade

Burnside/Port Adelaide 34 v Old Collegians 0

Best Player: Bec Manson

I didn't see this game, but clearly another thumping was handed out by the strong Port/Burnside team. Mind you, the margin was a good twenty points less than the previous two, so that's an improvement even with the absence of Lee Fata taken into account. I'm reliably informed that there was a great debut from Ashleigh Smith and another excellent game from the newcomer Laurel Eyton.

U14s, OCs 5 v Brighton 29

This was always going to be a tough game against the top team in the competition, but we came out firing on all cylinders. The team played with passion and commitment that unsettled a strong Brighton side and knocked them off their stride. The game started ominously with Brighton scoring out wide on the first play of the game.

The remainder of the first half, however, belonged to Old Collegians who ran, supported and put huge pressure on the fancied Brighton team. We were down by only 7 points at the change. Sadly we were unable to maintain our impetus after the break and finally went down 29-5. There was much to be proud of and pleasing to see the hard work done on the training field is beginning to bear fruition.

... Simon Macklin

Old Collegians U10

OC 10 V Brighton 35, at Tregenza

Scorers: Joseph 1, Charlie 1

Training this week will no doubt focus on gaining possession, ball retention and recycling after a game which saw the team lose some of the ground made up in last weeks excellent effort.

Brighton set up better in attack, and defensively, put strong pressure on our ball carrier. Unfortunately, far too often we allowed them to stand up in the tackle and recycle the ball too easily, brushing aside tackles that, often, were not strong enough, or else too high to bring the ball carrier to ground. That aside, everyone did try hard, with some very encouraging efforts noted.

Rhys continues to show the way up forward, and with Callum again putting in a solid effort, they formed a strong front row, that will only get better. Strong running and support from the backs, despite the pressure from the Brighton players saw significant territorial gains at times, but without quite getting across the line. Charlie's try was the result of a perfectly executed scrum set play, whilst Joseph's dash down the wing to cross the line for our first try was finished off with a memorable dive in the mud to celebrate.

All told, a slightly disappointing effort, but with plenty of positives upon which we can build.

... Tim Wall,

Co-coach, Team Manager

 

14th June 2008

by Norm Daploom

1st Grade Brighton 31 v Old Collegians 8

Try: Richard Czeglik;

Penalty: Todd Grant
Best Player: Tom Moon

The first half was pretty even and at half time the scores were close with Brighton looking tired and put upon; the feeling from the sideline (ours, that is) was that victory was likely. However, it was not to be. Brighton ran away with it in the second half with a handful of tries, while we displayed little creativity in attack and did nothing to really challenge Brighton. Our ball retention throughout the game was at best suspect and at worst non-existent. I'd love to be able to point the finger at a couple of offenders but in all honesty most of the boys were guilty of this, with the notable exceptions of Peter Cross, Will Mellor and James Finkmeyer.

We had most of the Falcons back in the pack which made a significant difference at ruck and maul. In lineouts and open play, they looked strong and dangerous all day. The only try came in the first half off a lineout, thanks to the stampeding momentum that only 140kg of Czeglik can bring. All forwards performed well, with Tom Moon having a very good game in particular.

By contrast, the backline ran fast and hard but sideways and more than once left the ball behind, giving Brighton further attacking opportunities when they really had plenty already. Scrums were stable but didn't have much drive.

Czeglik in the front row may be a mismatch of heights. Todd Grant didn't have the best day's kicking which is unlike him. We seemed to struggle to find touch. However, Todd replaced his usual skill off the foot with some very good passing and handling, and he and Ben Suttell at halfback are probably the only backs who can make that claim.

The score slightly flattered Brighton who scored a couple of quick ones in the last ten minutes as our intensity (fitness?) faded. We're much, much better than this.

2nd Grade Brighton 10 v Old Collegians 7

Try: Robbie Bell

Conversion: James Hayden

Best Player: Cleve Batten

Firstly, ignore the score. Irrelevant. This was a great showing by the OC 2s and I don't care what the scoreboard said. The stirring in the red and blue hearts from the last quarter of the previous game surfaced again at kick off of this game and quickly became a torrent of red and blue courage and commitment.

From the outset Brighton adopted their typical approach of arrogance and petty violence. For twenty minutes they stomped, punched and gouged while Collegians tackled, tackled and tackled.

Cleve Batten and Xander Evans demolished everything in their path. Charlie Neate's defence at inside centre was also excellent. As far as attack, Collegians had about 30 seconds of possession in the first twenty minutes when Robbie Bell swooped on a loose ball to chase down and score next to the posts, embarrassing the Bumblebees who hadn't managed to achieve anything with their 99% possession rate.

After the conversion by James Hayden it was back to tackling practice and as the hits became more committed and ferocious Brighton were more and more rattled and spent more time in the Ref's ear. Colls kept their cool for the whole first half apart from a silly decision to slap the ball back from a lineout allowing a stumbling Bumblebee to fall on it and even the score.

Restart saw tackling practice resume and continue magnificently until just before half time when a Brighton loosie flipped out and was sent to the bench to take a long hard look at himself.

Second half saw more tackling practice, as if we needed more, and it kept on improving.

Tom Alexander is a 120kg flanker trapped in the body of skinny fullback, and despite taking hits which ought to have crushed him he routinely hopped back up, counted his limbs and flew straight back into the fray.

Twenty minutes in, Brighton were given a penalty which they swapped for an easy 3 points and the score stayed 10 - 7 until home time.

The final five minutes saw OC enjoy continuous possession and string maybe twenty phases together, finally applying genuine pressure to Brighton's defence forcing them to resort to professional fouls instead of the disciplined defence they had received all day from OC. It wasn't until the dying seconds of the game that the final result was certain, and when the whistle blew the relief on the black and gold faces was palpable. We can expect great things from this squad over the next few weeks.

U16s - Old Collegians 37 v Vikings 0

Well what a difference a week and better opposition makes. In what started off as a very physical and tight encounter (the first try was only scored at the 20 minute mark of the first half) the Old Colls' team prevailed against a very tough opponent with particularly aggressive forward and counter-rucking play. By half time we had two tries in what promised to be a very difficult encounter. The try feast began in the second half as the opposition seemed to lag in fitness and discipline with two send-offs. Our team maintained its composure and running game and eventually ran away with the game.

Once again Macklin at scrum half helped the backs dominate and was well supported by Lovelady and Wilkinson. Our new number 7 van Altena covered the park all day scoring 3 tries. Alex Verlato again made some big attacking runs breaking the advantage line and scoring 2 tries..

A promising lead up to the next tough game, Brighton at Tregenza.

Best players; Macklin, Lovelady, Wilkinson, van Altena and Verlato.

Tries to van Altena (3), Verlato (2), Macklin and Armstrong."

... Michael Barrett

U10s - Old Collegians 25 v Vikings 25, at Port Adelaide

Scorers: Patrick 2, Venetia 2, Liam 1

By far the best whole team game so far. The mutual support, run, tackling etc, all came together in a much more cohesive display this week. Standout performances were the rule rather than the exception. However, a few special mentions are well deserved. Rhys, so sorely missed last week, was inspirational with his strong attack on the opposition ball carriers and helped win many turnovers. Patrick's 2 tries were the result of both fine teamwork and also individual effort, capping off some strong work throughout the game. Venetia's full pitch try in the second half was the second and finest of her 2 for the day. Liam, Joseph, Oliver and Charlie ran themselves into the ground and tackled ferociously. Callum had easily his best game for the year, gaining much possession and making territorial gains almost every time. Evan did not look at all like a player in only his 4th or 5th game ever as he continues to improve every week. With no subs available, the team performed superbly, and the only reason that they did not come away with a well deserved win, was that they had run themselves to a standstill and the opposition managed a late game saving try.

... Tim Wall

 

7th June 2008

by Norm Daploom

FIRST GRADE

Woodville 11 v Old Collegians 23 at Woodville

Best Player: Ben Suttell

Tries: Will Sadler, Luke Bailey

Penalties: Todd Grant (3)

Conversions: Todd Grant (2)

One could be forgiven for thinking that with our Falcons back we'd have romped this game in, but not so. We gained the lead only in the second half and it looked dangerous more than once. Woodville could be forgiven for thinking that the final score flattered us a little. After the final whistle Collegians' were grimly muttering "a win's a win". Not the highest praise.

For a start, many of our State Reps were on the sidelines with broken cheek-bones, strained muscles or a case of the sniffles (diddums). Added to that, we still have a baker's dozen of other senior players out to injury and illness. Of course, with or without our best men Woodville are always trouble at home anyway. Better OC squads than the ones we fielded this week have come a cropper against Woodies. Despite the best of intentions we always seem to end up playing to their style of game rather than our own.

The lineouts were much better this week than they were against Port Adelaide in the previous game, not that that is saying much. With senior forwards like Czeglik, Burmester and Tedge back in the pack we not only won most of our own ball and some of theirs we even managed to maul it over the line for a try. The other try came from that illusive sprite Will Sadler dashing through a narrow crack not ten yards off the line.

Scrums were reasonable and some great yards were made off the back of them from Caveman Berce at Number 8 but he too often lost the ball in contact. I'd have a severe word with him about this but he's a lot bigger than me.

Young Todd Grant has a Big Boot for a Small Man which was a very useful option at penalties and in open play and accounted for 13 of the 23 points.

Peter Cross had a hard job against Warren Duff, and while Peter didn't make much ground in attack neither did Duffy so we can call that even. That said, if Crossy is an inside-centre then I'm the Sultan of Brunei.

Heavens be praised for Ben Suttell who seems not to have realised his excellent State season is over for 2008; he brought his rep game to club footy this week.

Finally, our greatest thanks go to the nice young man from Woodville who utterly flubbed a try which would otherwise have meant the teams had two tries each and only kicks making up the difference.

SECOND GRADE

Barossa Rams 26 v Old Collegians 10

Best Player: Simon Allport

Try: Austin Wakeham

Penalty & Conversion: James Hayden

I thought the second grade looked a bit like patch-work. On making some enquiries, I understand there were more than a few last minute apologies and a team was only scraped together by coaxing two fourth graders off the recovery bench from their game played an hour earlier. We should give thanks then to the evergreen and masterly Andy Marshallsay and to newcomer Glen Smith in his OC debut. (It isn't always like this mate), and to the Reserves for third grade (who had driven all the way from their game at Onkaparinga). Thanks in particular to Ben James and Charlie Neate for making the extra effort, and probably saving the evergreen and masterly Andy Marshallsay's life in the process.

A few minutes into the game our teeny tiny back-line sprang into speed and skill-mode. Rowan Mein ghosted through from outside-centre and pinched a rapid thirty metres before being brought down in an obvious act of thuggish trickery by the Rams. This poor act of sportsmanship (fancy actually making the effort to chase opponents in cover defence!) left our Rowan unable to get up due to a damaged AC joint. He painfully/selfishly left the field to try and source a replacement joint and subsequently the Rams rammed in two quick Trys.

The first half was mostly one way traffic, and definitely the wrong way. Our teeny tiny back-line lost the use of speed and skill mode from their OGRCs (on ground rugby computers) and made too many errors while attempting to get over the advantage line.

The Rams played like England; boring but effective. It seems that hard straight running in close is a form of rugby that should bear a lesson to our young second graders. Get the big guys on the ground quickly or pay the price in yards.

NOTE: Rugby is a contact sport. Not "contact" like the gentle attentions of the ladies in the Penthouse movies, "contact" like that delivered by Jake the Muss in the 'Once Were Warrior' movies. Can we please aim for less pat and more splat?

Early in the second half things looked grim but something stirred within red and blue hearts. With the match safely lost, Collegians' lifted. Led by Simon Allport, Rory Sheppard and James Hayden, the defence stopped pushing and started pounding. A lift in effort and intensity brought not only respectability to the youthful players but hope to the supporters and no doubt the coaches too.

At the end of the game our lift in effort and commitment was deservedly rewarded with a try to Austin Wakeham who decided that after all his hard work he would score the try, and not one of the 28 unmarked men in support.

In short, good in patches but patches are only good for making quilts. We showed that we can play ay a high intensity despite major obstacles, if this level can be maintained then none shall stand in our path.

THIRD GRADE

Onkaparinga 25 v Old Collegians 0 at Onkaparinga

Best Player: Jim Grace

I'd write a match report for this game, but I didn't see the game myself and no-one who was involved seems anxious to discuss the finer details. Probably that says it all.

FOURTH GRADE

Barossa Rams 20 v Old Collegians 0

Best Player: Lawrence Hartney

Just like in the second grade game between our respective clubs, the Rams looked well drilled and disciplined and they did the basics well enough to thump us. I am reliably informed that they had nearly every fourth grade man at BOTH training sessions the week before this game. By comparison, our fourths are a bunch of blokes who don't train at all and looked like it. The Rams made us look pretty shabby. We were the poster kids of poor support play and lack of ball security. Line-outs were abysmal. If we can't get these basics right, it will be a dismal season.

However, the scrums weren't bad and there were solid efforts from most guys on the pitch. Lawrence Hartney played a courageous game at five-eighth and Ory (I can't recall whether it was Luke or Andrew) showed a lot of mongrel. However, the Post-Match Tirade accurately identified that all the gusto, effort and courage in the world will not get us far if we don't train. So start turning up, you lot. It wasn't a lot of fun to watch, and I doubt it was much fun to play.

U16s - Old Collegians 34, Elizabeth 12

In what can only be described as a weak and disjointed performance, the team struggled to achieve its previous dominance of the field. This may have been caused by the absence of some critical play-makers through injury or illness. The team's response to this performance, as demonstrated by a lacklustre rendition of the club song, indicated how it felt. What was particularly disappointing was the fact that Elizabeth scored. Previously we have only had one converted try scored against us.

Good individual performances by Macklin, Blackall and Linder-Patton (with 3 tries) and tough tackling and our newest recruit from the Republic, Bernie van Altena, which brought back memories of a previous red haired flanker in the number 7 jersey.

A much better effort is required coming into the next round of competition.

Best players; Macklin, Blackall, Linder-Patton and van Altena.

Tries to Linder-Patton (3), Posala, Verlato and Wilkinson.

... Michael Barrett

U14s OCs v Elizabeth

Result forfeit to Old Collegians

Sadly Elizabeth were unable to field a side with enough numbers to avoid a forfeit. In the true spirit of the game, however, Old Collegians U14s had no hesitation in putting themselves at the disposal of the Elizabeth coach so that a game of 14 - a - side could be played. A special thanks to Lloyd Allison, David Paprzycki, Lachlan Birrell, Will and Hamish McLachlan, Eliot Kirby, Nick Howlett, Matt Hutchinson, Eamonn McLoughlin, Sean Gilligan, Nick Lanchester and Ian Begley who all donned the white of Elizabeth and played as if their lives depended on it. Well done and thank you to you all.

This was a very encouraging display with good commitment, strong running and some fine support play. Tom Litchfield again showed good form with powerful surgeing runs. Harry Trantor and Nick Scott worked well in the second row and dominated the lineouts. The front row were solid when it mattered and provided a strong platform for Hamish McLachlan and then Ian Begley at scrum-half. Stewie Nutt had a sniff at the ball on more than one occasion and provided an excellent link between forwards and backs. Ruck/maul contest still needs some work and the continual problem of lack of fitness continues to haunt us in the forwards.

After a shaky start, the back line finally clicked into action with Andrew Smith and Paddy Macklin running hard and tackling well. Back line movement saw Will McLachlan and Ollie L-P going over for scores. Ollie's persistence and good legwork saw him shake free of his defenders and score under the posts.

Alex Imber was again a rock at full back.

The game was marred by the unfortunate accident in the first half which saw Eamonn McLoughlin carried from the field with a fractured wrist. His bravery in the face of a nasty injury were a tribute to his courage. We wish him well for a speedy recovery.

.... Simon Macklin

U12 - OCs 26 v RAMs 5 at Womma

Tries: Cameron Andrews(1),Peter Stapleton(1),Rick Wilkinson(1), Hudson Pitt(1).

Conversion: Cameron Andrews(3)

Highlights:
Crunching tackle by Digby, assisted by Dexter, where the RAMs player was knocked backwards off his feet and landed on his back. Lachlan Pridham turning a RAMs player around presenting us the ball in a maul. A fantastic team try finished off by Hudson Pitt. It started with the forwards from a tap with quick passing along a line from Lachlan, Cameron, Nick Litchfield, Isaac Taylor, Rick to Hudson, who motored down the wing to score back along the try line under the posts. Steve Whipp, was one of the BOGs; competing in the lineouts and tackling around the legs grinding players down to the ground in mauls. Rick took a lovely pop pass from Cameron to run through the RAMs' backline defence like a knife through butter. Another great game from Cameron.

... Tony Wilkinson

 

31st May 2008

U10s, At Parkinson

Game 1, Old Collegians 0 v Souths 4

A more physical approach from Souths saw them score most of their points early, before a much more committed effort by OCs held them out for long periods with strong tackling and teamwork. Special mentions to Sebastian, Patrick, Rhys and Oliver for their early efforts, without which, the score would have been much more lopsided. Our most promising forward thrust should have resulted in a try to Oliver, but somehow a stroller had found its way onto the pitch, and as he slowed to get around it, Oliver was taken out to touch a few metres short of the line.

Game 2, Old Collegians 1 v NEDs 3

Scorer: Joseph Hodgson

A change in the draw saw us pitted against NEDs for the third time in 3 weeks. The OC team acquitted themselves extremely well given the opposition's bigger bodies and very physical play. Fatigue and injuries told in the end, but the whole team remained committed and supported each other well. The effort to retain possession of the ball was tremendous and the passages of play where numerous phases were strung together, showed the benefits of all the hard work put in at training. The game was marred by several unfortunate injuries and questionable decisions from the referee, which only makes the effort of the players all the more meritorious. The final moments of the game saw some great team work to regain possession of the ball finished off by a superb individual effort by Joseph to cross the line.

... Tim Wall Team Manager/ Co coach

 

24th May 2008

by Norm Daploom

FIRST GRADE

Port Adelaide 24 v Old Collegians 18 at Port Adelaide

Best Player: Rory Shepard

Tries: Tom Alexander, James Hayden, Brad McDonald

Penalty: Will Sadler

Let's start with the obvious. Line outs - what the...? Having lots of players out is no excuse at first grade level, we need to win our own set piece; even now and again would nice. Our fringe post defence was often non-existent, a weakness exaggerated by Port's game plan which seemed to be exclusively attacking that zone. The Coach's half time words fell on deaf ears as we repeated the same errors over and over. Rory Shepard played a great game and was nicknamed "Velcro" for his ability to stick to the tackle. B-Rad made good ground but was often unsupported. Paul Reynolds did well playing out of position in the centres and Alex Berce made himself felt as per usual. Tom Alexander scored a great try in the corner to the loud appreciation of the OC crowd and James Hayden put in a strong performance at fullback- both boys in their first grade debut.

As a final note, Will Sadler can you please return Czeglik's shorts and invest in a pair in your own size? Rory Shepard may be able to loan you a pair.

SECOND GRADE

Port Adelaide 13 v Old Collegians 8 at Port Adelaide

Best Player: Charlie Neate

Try: Austin Wakeham

Penalty: Matt Mooney

Our 2nd Grade turned in a third grade performance this week. Hold up a second.... I think that was actually the third grade out there. With 30 blokes missing from selection this week, we pilfered and thieved from the lower grades to turn out our 1st and 2nd teams this week and it showed. It was a courageous performance at times and the game was there for the winning. Individual performances were often strong but team play was disjointed leading to try scoring opportunities being wasted. Our last pass was often intercepted by the ground.

Defence was strong and everyone worked hard but we were out-muscled around the rucks. We need to muscle or fatten up - hit the gym or McDonalds, boys. Charlie Neate turned out another brilliant game, narrowly edging out Austin Wakeham for best on ground.

THIRD GRADE

North Torrens 27 v Old Collegians 10 at Dry Creek

Best Player: Ben "Fuzzy" James

Try: Robbie Bell

Penalty: Robbie Bell

Conversion: Robbie Bell

We met this team last week at Tregenza and drew (5 v 5), however after a promising start this week with a try from Robbie Bell (ghosting through a hole) the wheels fell right off. If we made the most of the chances we created, the game would have been very different. Instead, typical of all senior OC teams this week, we missed our opportunities. The first-up tackling was woeful and our idea of rucking appears to be to tap the nice young man on the shoulder and ask if he wouldn't mind stepping away for a bit. The scrums were good in the first half but deteriorated as the game wound down. Could it be a fitness issue? Robbie Bell and Lawrence Hartney played well, and Fuzzy played a great game; his first at lock.

WOMEN

Port Adelaide/Burnside 57 v Old Collegians 0 at Port Adelaide

Best Player: Lauren Eayton

Another hard game for our girls against the well organised and experienced Port Adelaide/Burnside. While the scoreline was clearly a thrashing, it was less of a thrashing than last time and OCs did have some significant absences due to injury etc. An excellent first game from Laurel (best on ground, in fact) who looked like a seasoned campaigner despite it being her first game. The OC girls looked likely to score a few times but somehow managed to cock it right up on each occasion. They're heading in the right direction but have plenty of room for improvement. The whole team needs to lift its work-rate and commit to the contact point. Gently caressing the opposition at the ruck and maul doesn't get you anywhere.

U16s - Old Collegians 97, Northern Districts 0

In what can only be described as a try feast, the team in its first game of the season put in a crushing win against a demoralised and weak opposition which was looking forward to the end of the game about 5 minutes in. With a total of 15 tries and 11 conversions, (7 tries scored in the first half) it was clearly a massive performance and one which will stand us in good stead in terms of premiership points later in the year.

What was particularly pleasing was the dominance of the backs and the number of set piece plays which resulted in tries with particularly strong performances by Laurendi (4 tries) and Sambanis (3 tries) with Macklin also scoring 3 tries and dominating play from the number 9 position. The backs led by Norman Tuimaseve were very strong. One issue remains that the backs are scoring tries sometimes leaving the support players too far behind to help in the event of tougher tackling by better oppositions. This needs to be addressed before we meet more competitive opposition.

Some terrific tackling and running by Terry Wilkinson who is one of the smaller players.

The team recognises that the test for it is yet to come following a bye this coming week and then Vikings and shortly after Onkas and Brighton. Having said that, the morale and attitude is very strong. This team will not be easily beaten.

Best players; Macklin, Sambanis, Tuimaseve, Laurendi, Wilkinson.

Tries to Laurendi (4) Macklin (3), Sambanis (3) Linder-Patton (2) Armstrong, Barrett, Hopkinson and Tuimaseve."

U14s - Old Collegians 21 v NEDS 20

The Old Colls U14 season came alive on Saturday when the team took the game to NEDS from the first whistle. Solid defence in the middle turned into explosive attack when Hodgson at fly half stepped through a handful of tackles before being brought down well into the opposition half. Subsequent support turned into self belief when Macklin carved the defence to score a fine try.

NEDS came back hard and played to their strength, moving the ball at every opportunity to the colossal inside center but again magnificent tackling saw no way through until the opposition took advantage of a blood injury which left Old Colls with only 14 men on the field. NEDS were awarded a penalty and went over to take the lead.

Old Colls responded from the restart with some magnificent pressure by the forwards resulting in a penalty deep in NEDS half. A quick tap by Hodgson saw him weave through the defence and touch down in the corner with Old Colls going into half time 10-14.

The second half saw the hours of training put into practice with Old Colls completely dominating every aspect of the game. The forwards combined as a complete unit both in the set and loose play and up to six phases of pick and driving saw Andrews powering over to take the lead early in the second half.

With Old Colls camped in the opposition half a tactical up and under saw Trantor collect the ball at pace and glide over for the try of the match, extending their well deserved lead.

With 30 seconds left, another NEDS penalty saw their strength at inside centre make 25 meters and the opposition forwards went over close to the posts. The last kick of the game resulted in a 21-20 win for NEDS. After completely dominating the second half, going down by one point was certainly a bitter pill to swallow but this was a fine team performance with much to look forward to for the rest of the season.

Tries ; Macklin, Hodgson, Andrews, Trantor

U12s: NEDs(25) v OCs(17) at Tregenza

Tries: Rick Wilkinson(2), Hudson Pitt(1)

Conversions: Cameron Andrews(1)

Highlights: Winning the second half with great spirit and Grayson Jones's strong tackle driving the NEDs player back over a metre.

This was a match in 2 halves. The first saw Neds run in 4 tries, while Lachlan Pridham went for a run and passed to Rick who outran NEDS down the far wing to score a try, making it 20 to 5 in favour of Neds at half time. George Wells did some excellent tackles on the wing. Luke Howes also did well considering he had been sick for over a week. Neds have some tall fast backs. Unfortunately, one of their lads (whom we had talked about at the start) is also very agile and took a quick tap from a penalty and dodged and weaved through 6 of our players to score one of their tries. Looks like there might be some more tackling practice coming up.

In the second half, with a few positional changes, the boys looked much more inspired. It was great having a versatile player like Nick Litchfield, who happily was able to play a number of positions, wherever we needed him. Hudson picked up a loose ball in defence and made a long run down the field to score under the posts. Cameron converted and later kicked downfield with Rick overtaking their winger, picking up the ball on the run and outrunning the defence to score a diving try down the wing. NEDS again caught us napping with a scrum close to our line and made a scoring blind side break. We outscored Neds by 12 to 5 in the second half.

So again this showed that we have the potential to beat NEDs and they caught us sleeping in the first half. Two of the NEDs tries were very soft, coming from missed tackles, lack of communication and a lack of concentration. Those two lapses ultimately cost us the game. Perhaps we did not press home our forward strength to advantage as well as we wanted to do either. There were some great tackles though too. I was really pleased with the fighting spirit showed by the lads in the second half. Finally, we need to work on our defensive aggression. When they score a try we double our efforts and score two more. When they get the ball we apply pressure, cutting down their time and space, and regain possession.

Good luck to all those players(7) playing in the U12 State squad Black Falcon curtain raiser games.

... Tony Wilkinson

 

17th May 2008

U16 39 v Southern Suburbs 0

A strong performance particularly in the first half. The scrum was better with particularly good work done by two of the big men in the front row, Blackall (2 tries) and Verlato who consistently broke the advantage line of Souths. The backs engaged in strong set piece plays which often led to the scoring of tries with one of the two members of the Samoan phalanx Norman Tuimaseve dominating play in the number 10 position. This created opportunities for Macklin (2 tries) and Sambanis (2 tries). The team played in a manner such that the Souths backs could not get clean ball and were constantly unsettled.

Best players; Macklin, Sambanis, Blackall, Verlato and Tuimaseve.

Tries to Macklin (2), Blackall (2), Sambanis (2) and Eames.

... Michael Barrett

U14 0 v Souths 54 at Bailey

After a hard game against Burnside last week, the coaching staff approached the game against Souths with much anticipation. Sadly, the conditions were more typical of Northern Hemisphere rugby with a slippery surface and a ball that resembled a bar of soap. Our forwards worked hard in the first half with the wind and rain in their faces but in spite of our best efforts, we remained pinned in our own half with no way of escape. There was some stout defense but too often we were unable to maintain our alignment and Souths' excellent backs carved us apart, taking advantage of the conditions

Our commitment to the tackle and our hunger for the ball let us down too often in the second half. We were too slow to the breakdown and the avalanche that was Souths' total domination eventually overwhelmed our defenses.

Encouraging was our performance in the lineout and our scrum was rock solid. We have to transfer this to the rest of our game.

I am confident that we have the ability to be more competitive and I am sure that as the season progresses our team work, comittment, fitness and understanding of the game will improve.

Best on ground were Andrew Smith, Tom Litchfield, Harry Trantor for their work rate and Alex Imber for his solid defence.

... Simon Macklin

U12 25 v Souths 26 at Bailey

This was an excellent match and was ours for the taking. We were down 10 to 21 at half time and effectively won the second half 15 to 5. It was very exciting for the spectators. What was even more remarkable was we played with 13 players for the first half with no subs and had one sub after half time. On the evidence, this would suggest that having one more player, potentially made a 21 point difference (keep in mind we lost by a single point)! Imagine what could have been had we the 18 players that I was expecting.

Fortunately, Souths wanted to play with 13 players even though they had 19 at the game. Ostensibly, they had 5 or 6 players that were new to the game and didn't want them all on at the same time. Tactically that worked in their favour. Their strength was a single small but agile centre player, Save (pronounced Savee) who was very smart (he scored 3 of their 4 tries). By dropping the 2 flankers off the scrum, their inside backs could get the ball out to him without much pressure. Souths had subs and we didn't so our players got pretty tired, and consequently we didn't make as good decisions at times. Some of our player's fitness was tested. Nevertheless, we outscored Souths by 5 tries to 4 and they converted 3 times to our nil (although 1 hit the cross bar...doh). Imagine what could have been had we converted at 20%? Admittedly, most of our tries were scored out wide.

Tries: Rick Wilkinson(2), Cameron Andrews(2), Dexter Duckett(1)

Highlights: Dexter Duckett's try was a ripper- real guts to keep going and reach out and put it down' - AB; second half come back when all were tired; Danny Towill and Isaac Taylor found their legs with some long runs down the wings. Connor Braidwood & Steve Whipp did a great job in the scrum when they were thrown into 2nd row. Andrew Ascough was another young player who was able to adapt to playing multiple positions, wherever we needed him.

Overall, we will learn valuable lessons from this match. Congratulations to Souths and it was a game we could have won IF...so let us make sure we don't leave anyone wondering again!

... Tony Wilkinson

 

10th May 2008

U16 Old Collegians 50 v Burnside 7

In the first match of the season, a very strong team performance with 8 tries including 3 to our debut Full Back Vince Laurendi. This was a strong first performance following the successful sevens campaign. The first half was marred by some handling errors caused by the very fast aggressive approach to the game adopted by the team. More work needs to be done by the forward pack on its scrummaging but the signs are very promising given the size of the front row. Very good performance by the backs.

Best players; Macklin, Laurendi.

Tries to Java Posala, Sambanis, Blackall, Linder-Patton, Laurendi (3) and Macklin."

U14 v Burnside A at Burnside

Final Score OC 7 Burnside 76

Scorer for OC: Alex Imber Conversion: Chris Hodgson.

Sadly, our first game of the season saw us take on a very powerful and well organised Burnside pack with a back division to boot. The final score did not do us justice and there was some excellent defense all round. Tackling let us down on occasions and allowed the score to blow out. The second half saw us have more territory and possession but we were unable to break the organisation that Burnside were able to create.

Nevertheless, there is plenty of hope for the season and lots of good work to build on. First games for a number of players: Lloyd Allison, Jarrod Barton, Harry Trantor, Will McLachlan and Sean Gilligan. Well done!

Pick of the day were Harry Trantor, Andrew Smith, Sean Gilligan and Nick Lanchester in the forwards and Ollie L-P in the backs. Tom Litchfield, Peter Cowen and Nick Howlett also did well.

... Simon Macklin

U12 game against Burnside A at Parkinson

We had an excellent turnout at training and 17 players took the field (literally). We scored 9 tries (Rick(2), Lachlan(2), Cameron(2), Digby(2), and Isaac) and a conversion to win 47 to nil.

Amos had to take the field in his t-shirt because none of the u12 shirts were big enough for him! Cameron was captain this week and had a brilliant game. Abraham was focused and had some good runs and shared the hooker position with Grayson, who also made some good tackles.

After a quiet start, Dexter warmed to the task and seemed to come up with the ball all over the place. New player Connor Braidwood got hold of the ball a few times too, running and linking up well with team mates. Another new player to the club, Steve Whipp, was hard at the ball and I think we can expect a good season from him.

Surprisingly, I don't think we won any lineouts so that is something we need to work on. The backs need to keep their lines in position a little better too, so that when the ball does come out we can quickly spin it out along the line. What was pleasing was that we retained possession well as a team and there were very few ball handling errors. On the 2 or 3 occasions that the opposition got the ball out to their backs, Rick and Cameron were there with crunching tackles stopping them from even making the gain line. The game was played fairly and in good spirit.

Once however, when Nathan was charging along with the ball, I even think the referee may have given a penalty against us because he was worried about Burnside getting steam-rolled! It is a bit unfair to single out good players because the whole team played such a great game for the season opener. The scary thing is ...I think there is a lot more improvement to come in this team.

... Tony Wilkinson

U10s Old Collegians 1 v U10 Burnside 13

Scorer: Sebastian Thompson

A game of two very different halves. The OC team looked a bit shell-shocked in the first half, due to the pressure from the bigger, more aggressive Burnside team, resulting in most of Burnside's score being recorded by half time. OC showed just how much potential they have with a much more spirited commitment to the contest after half time, resulting in an early try to Sebastian, which was the result of some very good teamwork and support being finished off with some individual flair in crossing the line. Most pleasing, was the strong tackling and the way that they fought to maintain possession of the ball. In fact OC had the better of the play in the second half, both in territory and possession without quite getting the score on the board. Every member of the team made valuable contributions throughout the contest, some of which were outstanding. Whilst some individual efforts were really special, the 'whole team' performance was especially worthy of praise, particularly in the second half.

... Tim Wall Team Assistant Coach / Manager

 

Saturday 3rd May

U12 trial Games at Waite

16 Players came out for the trial games. It was great to have an opportunity to play 3 other teams (Burnside, Vikings and Souths)-15 minutes each.

The first game we lost narrowly to Burnside (a combination of their two u12 teams), 2 tries to 1. Both Burnside tries were breakaways (same player) down the blind wing, so we held our own well. Second game against Vikings we ran in about 6 or 7 tries in 15 minutes and Vikings had to borrow players to make up the numbers. Notably Nathan Illic (1st 15-a-side game) scored his first try and all players played well. In the third game, Souths narrowly won 2 tries to 1 and we only played with 13 because Souths were short of players.

Again they had a couple of quick players who made long breaks. In this game however, we had moved a lot of players around, many playing in positions they have never played before and most of our newer players were on for most of the game.

Thankyou to the players for being willing to be flexible. Overall we did well and the State coach complimented us on how well the boys played. Afterwards I watched Onkaparinga, NEDs and Brighton play each other and they are probably the top three teams in that order. Having said that, I don't think any of them are unbeatable.

Congratulations to the following players for being selected in the u12/Primary schools State squad: Lachlan Pridham, Digby Sever, Nathan Illic, Cameron Andrews, Hudson Pitt and Rick Wilkinson. There is still opportunity for players to move into the squad, if they play well in matches.

... Tony Wilkinson