As clubs and schools travel across cities, states, and even oceans in search of secluded water for January training camps, the Australian rowing community waits anxiously as a jam-packed racing season looms just weeks away. In a year that features new events, a return to Tasmania, a new-look National Training Centre squad, and some of the most wide-open schools racing in recent years, let’s take a look at some of the crews likely to shine above the rest.
Kinross Wolaroi Schoolboy Quad
The reigning national champions in this event, Kinross Wolaroi have kicked off the season by eliminating all doubt of their status as short-priced favourites to go back-to-back in 2025. Last year’s combination, who broke the Australian record with a time of 6:23.7, have retained three members: Harry Dymock, Oscar Cleary, and Oliver Smith. Now supporting them is Toby Buckland, who has joined the crew for the first two regattas of the season. In the opening exchanges of the 24/25 season, the boys from Orange have picked up right where they left off, taking two wins and posting similar times to what they achieved at their peak just six months before. Whilst Sydney-based Redlands and St Augustine’s were within five seconds at each of their first two meetings, it’s worth noting that Kinross would have done very little, if any rowing over the winter in the central-west. This is a fact attested to by Cleary missing the first regatta of the year due to his commitment to the Australian Schoolboy Rugby team. If Kinross are still a long way from their ceiling, it seems unlikely anyone will come close this season.
Most of this crew have already ticked off everything there is to achieve domestically. Whilst many factors need to come together for an Australian school to compete internationally, Kinross have made the trip over to Henley Royal Regatta before, competing in The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup in 2019. Should this crew back up their 2024 form, seeing them competing overseas in 2025 would be great.
Shore School 1st Eight
In the opening four rounds of AAGPS racing this season, we’ve seen the beginnings of what looks to be the tightest contest for the Major Rennie Trophy of recent years. Whilst St Ignatius have looked dominant, winning all four contests, the chasing pack are battling hard. Six of the eight schools have achieved at least one top-three finish thus far. Whilst I don’t want to take anything away from the incredible performances of Riverview in these opening exchanges, historically, the winners of November regattas have not gone on to finish the season on a high at the Head of the River. As such, close attention must be paid to the fierce midfield battle unfolding.
One crew who cannot be written off is Shore. The most successful AAGPS rowing program in history, winning 48 of 129 HOTR titles, including eight of the past 15 runnings. The boys from North Sydney have had an uncharacteristic period without a win. For the first time since 1985, none of this year’s crew will have been at school to witness a Shore win. Last year’s combination were one of the surprise performances of the season, taking a shock second place in the dying stages of the race. This ability to peak at the right time is characteristic of their coach Jason Baker, who, after delivering Scots their first Major Rennie in 41 years, is now in his second year of coaching at Shore. With only one returning member of the 2024 crew in their midst, Shore may not seem the obvious choice for this article, but the winning culture built at the Gladesville sheds over decades does not seem to have gone anywhere, as evidenced by their devastating performances in the lower crews so far this season. They’ll have their work cut out for them amongst a resurgent Newington and the dark horses of King’s, but I’d be surprised if Shore are not right in the hunt with St Ignatius for the win come March 22nd.
Sydney Rowing Club U21 Eight
For the 2025 season, one of the most exciting additions to regatta programmes has been the inclusion of U21 eights. Previously fought out exclusively at the NSW State Championships for the Colleagues Cup, the event has now found its way to several local regattas, and will now make its National Championship debut at Lake Barrington this year. For the Australian rowing scene, it’s an event which has been sorely needed. An opportunity to build a campaign in an eight over an entire season is rare down under, often reserved exclusively for international tours. The addition of this event will give those in their first two years post-school to level up their racing experience in the blue-riband boat class, before pursuing national selection in small boats.
I expect this event to be very well attended at Nationals, with Sydney and UTS both fielding boats at the RNSW Reindeer Regatta, as well as whisperings of a Simon Huxley-coached Sydney University crew taking shape. The Boathouse Drive rivals of Mercantile and Melbourne University are also very likely to be targeting this event, given it is also offered at the Victorian State Championships.
Earlier this season, we saw UTS take first blood, however the majority of this crew are no longer eligible for U21 competition come the new year, so attention must turn to Sydney Rowing Club. Featuring freshly crowned Junior World Champions Ambrose Hennessey, Tomas Maloney, and Matias Maloney, as well as 2024 Fawley Challenge Cup winner Jimmy Harlow, this crew has some serious firepower. Whilst the first race of the season must be taken with a hefty pinch of salt, due to most athletes only being a week out of their final exams and an extended period of downtime, this squad has the potential to dominate the U21 age category across multiple boats this season, and should not be counted out at any competition.
Those who missed out on NTC selection for 2025
As the 2028 Olympic Cycle’s first competitions draw nearer, a guard change is underway in the Australian men’s team. Whilst very few retirements have been officially announced, we’ll likely see a very young group of athletes selected for the first World Rowing Cups in June. A testing camp was held in late 2024 to determine who would receive funded spots at the Canberra National Training Centre. For the first year of the cycle, only a select few were invited to relocate, leaving a large pool of talented athletes to prepare for national selection from their home clubs. Despite this, many of those who missed out will be training in Canberra alongside the NTC on an extended camp, up until the National Championships in March. For athletes like Alex Wolf, Alex Nichol, Harry Glackin, and Hamish Wynn-Pope, the fire will be well and truly lit to disprove initial selection decisions and muscle their way into the team. The 2025 Nationals at Lake Barrington will be the public’s only opportunity to see our NTC athletes compete domestically this year, and is set to provide a fascinating spectacle ahead of final trials in April.
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