2025 Australian Rowing Championships – Open Men’s Four Preview

Image Credit: Rowing Australia

The open men’s four is shaping up to be one of the most highly anticipated races of the Australian Rowing Championships. With a strong field featuring a mix of Rowsellas and Reinhold Batschi National Training Centre (RBNTC) athletes, this event will offer insight into the new RBNTC cohort as they transition into the LA 2028 Olympic cycle.

The Favourites

Adelaide Composite

The standout crew in this event, the Adelaide composite boasts an impressive lineup featuring two members of the Paris 2024 Olympic Men’s Four, Fergus Hamilton and Alex Hill OAM, alongside men’s eight Olympian Angus Widdicombe. Rounding out the crew is Austin Reinehr, a two-time silver medallist at the U23 World Rowing Championships in the men’s four and last year’s King’s Cup winner as an U23 athlete.

Melbourne University

Expected to be the biggest challenger to the Adelaide Composite, the Melbourne University crew features three first-year RBNTC athletes alongside Hamish Wynn-Pope, who has been participating in an extended camp at the RBNTC. With a strong development focus and rising talent, this boat will be eager to test itself against the established Olympians in the Adelaide Composite.

Kand Composite

This crew is packed with U23 Australian representatives who bring international experience to the field. While they may lack the senior-level accolades of their main competitors, their potential for speed and cohesion makes them a podium threat. Mitch Salisbury was the stroke of last year’s U23 Australian men’s four and has a formidable rhythm that he will aim to set early. It’ll be up to the experience of three-seater Darcy Watter to send that rhythm back through the bow as the crew will look to hang on to a rapid start from Hill (Adelaide) and Smith (MUBC).

The Dark Horses

Beyond the three leading boats, several crews in the field could challenge for the minor places or even shake up the expected results. Kand has shown promising form throughout the season, and WARC Composite brings a mix of experience and youth that could make them a factor in the final.

Race Expectations

With the first-year RBNTC athletes making their senior-level debut and experienced Rowsellas setting the benchmark, this race promises to be an early indicator of how the new wave of Australian rowers adapt to elite-level competition. The depth in this field is significant, but the top three crews appear to have separated themselves from the rest.

Can Melbourne University or Kand Composite challenge the dominance of the Adelaide Composite? Or will the experienced Rowsellas prove too strong?

Prediction

1. Adelaide Composite – The combination of Olympic experience, U23 success, and King’s Cup pedigree should see them claim gold.
2. Melbourne University – The new RBNTC athletes have huge potential, and this race will be a great test.
3. Kand Composite – Their U23 experience should see them on the podium, but they will need a strong race to challenge for silver.

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Nick Jones

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