Image Credit: Rowing Australia
Rowing is a team sport – and the club eight encompasses that. The club category of rowing allows clubs to showcase their depth – with many crews in this category being a mix of junior and senior athletes. Undoubtedly, it’s one of the only events where you’re likely to see only three zooties on the podium; it’s always full of surprises.
Melbourne Uni
Melbourne University’s entry is comprised of a younger athlete cohort, although not one that is alien to winning. This season, the combination of Crough, Shelton and Morrison claimed gold in the U21 eight at the New South Wales and Rowing Victoria state championships – undoubtedly boosting their confidence in their racing ability. They will be joined by a recent graduate of St Catherines’ (VIC), Werner, who aided her schoolgirl crew in reaching the A-final at the Australian National Championships last year. Harwood will utilise her age and plethora of sweep experience to drive the boat on from the middle. Her recent achievements include claiming a bronze in the U23 four and eight at the 2024 Australian National Championships. Murray will find herself hungry to reclaim a spot on the podium in this event after claiming a bronze at last year’s Australian National Championships in both club four and club eight. Despite the youth of this crew, it does not lack experience in the slightest and will be a contender for medals.
Mercantile
Mercantile have historically been a strong club, with the depth of their squad extending far past high performance and into their club athletes. This is evidenced by their entry in club eights this year; this exact combination of eight took home gold in the club eight by over 26 seconds at the Rowing Victoria state championships, and various combinations of the crew also claimed gold in the club four, quad and double. Their sustained success throughout a heavy race load is a testament to the crew’s work ethic and fitness. This boat’s racing experience will undoubtedly give it a significant advantage over many other crews, particularly under the guidance of coach Peter Somerville. Somerville brings a wealth of knowledge, including coaching junior Australian teams and working with the Victorian youth eights. Under his guidance, Mercantile will undoubtedly be a force in this race. On top of race experience and quality coaching, Mercantile also has the advantage of a home-grown rivalry. They will be keen to stay ahead of their Victorian rivals at Melbourne University, who they walked through at last year’s Australian National Championships to claim a silver medal in this event. Only three of the eight members from last year’s crew remain, leaving much to be imagined. Mercantile’s race experience and strong club culture will undoubtedly have them within reaching distance of the gold.
University of Technology, Sydney
The Iron Cove locals have leveraged the breadth of their junior squad to make up a solid entry. Recent Loretto Kirribilli graduate and daughter of dual rowing Olympian Alison Davies, Zoe Fallon, will utilise her experience in her school’s first eight to help this boat go as fast as possible. She’s joined by former rival turned crew mate Rupnik Williams, who helped to guide her alma mater (St Catherine’s New South Wales) to a historic double gold in both the schoolgirl and U19 eight at last year’s Australian National Championships. Half of this boat have shown themselves to row well together recently, with Fallon, Rupnik Williams, Griebel and Stigter recently winning bronze in the U21 eight category at the NSW state championships. Although the crew has some classy young rowers, a lack of training as an eight may lead to cohesion issues. Despite this, such a solid group will make them one to watch.
Sydney University
Sydney University Boat Club (SUBC) also known as the “home of rowing” is delivering quite the combination of both junior athletes and seasoned club members in their crew. New faces to the club Alice Macready and Georgina Stevenson recently left Rowing Victoria state championships with a silver to their name in the U21 double. Both have shown great success on their own also – with Stevenson being named in New South Wales’s Penrith Cup crew, an open-age representative boat. Macready impressively won a gold medal in the World Indoor Rowing Championship in the junior 500m and continues to pursue indoor rowing to boost her water performance. SUBC’s women’s club captain India Hobbs will leverage her vast experience as a club member and leader within the crew to help aid the boats cohesion. Her confidence will be boosted by her recent silver medal in the open elite eight at New South Wales state championships. A recent import from the faraway land of Skibbereen Rowing Club, Ireland, Aisling Hayes brings a plethora of experience, power and consistency as evidenced by her results at New South Wales state championships. Over the three days, Hayes brought home a gold in the open elite quad and double, silver in the eight and a valiant fourth in the open single. The rest of the crew comprises current schoolgirls alongside seasoned veteran Grace Turner. The combination is odd, although not something SUBC is inexperienced with, who constantly create surprises in this event.
Sydney Rowing Club (SRC)
Reigning champions of the women’s club eight, SRC will bring some fire to this race as they defend their title and strive to win the overall medal tally. Freya Neville was a consistent junior figure, representing Australia at both the U19 and U21 level until a back injury restricted her training load over the past two seasons. She is joined by recent U21 NSW state champion and English rowing team import Lia Dardis Green, who has undoubtedly contributed to the strength of SRC’s program this season. Isabelle Furrer’s history within SRC is extensive, including many medals in the sky blue and appearances on the junior Australian team, making her a natural leader in this boat. The combination of Neville and Furrer is a winning one, claiming the gold in both club eight and club four last year. Hungry to defend their title, SRC will be fast.
Prediction
Mercantile’s race experience and cohesion will make them a strong contender for the top spot. Despite not having any recent superstars on the squad, the culture of their clubbies and training will give them a significant advantage. Sydney Rowing Club will likely claim the silver after a consistently strong season and hunger to maintain their spot after last year’s victory. The high performance of Melbourne University’s younger rowers will create great competition with the experienced Sydney University’s boat, making third place unpredictable.
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