Image Credit: Rowing Australia
As the open event finals begin to wrap up at the Australian Rowing Championships, the competition for the best club crews begin. The beloved “clubbie” events are reserved for athletes who aren’t nominating for state or national representation, and crews must be composed of athletes that hail from one club. The National Championship club events provide an excellent level of strict competition for athletes who are seeking an alternative to the open events, and in the club women’s four, one victorious crew will be named the National Club Champions of Australia. Which club is hungry enough to bring it home in 2025?
Melbourne University Boat Club
With several talented young athletes in the crew from MUBC, it will be tough to look past them in contention for medals. One of the crew members, Crough was in the female U21 eight that took gold at the 2025 Victorian State Championships, as well as the silver medal at the 2025 NSW State Championships, and will certainly be a force to be reckoned with on the start line. Notably, De Uray won a bronze medal at the 2023 U23 World Rowing Championships in the women’s coxless four and has extensive high-level sweeping experience. Crewmates Harwood and Murray will join these two talented athletes on the startline and will make up a competitive crew on race day.
Mercantile Rowing Club
The recent victors of the club coxless four at the Victorian State Championships, Ivers, Macaulay, Stocks, and Carr will no doubt want to add “National Champions” to their 2025 season resume. Stocks and Carr are no strangers to the club women’s four on a national stage, having placed fourth in this event at the 2024 National Championships. They also joined teammate Ivers to take the silver home in the club women’s eight. All four crew members this year also assisted in taking out the 2025 Victorian State Championship club women’s eight and have raced extremely successfully in the local Victorian regattas. They should provide a clean race and will surely be gunning to bring a medal home following their near-miss in 2024.
Sydney Rowing Club
The current national title holders, Sydney Rowing Club, have an extremely competitive high-performance program, and it comes as no surprise that their club crews are of a high calibre. The crew of Neville, McLean, Spaulding, and Furrer come with some 2025 NSW Championship medals to their name, with Furrer’s gold medal performances in the women’s elite coxless four and eight, and her bronze medal in the women’s elite pair. Neville joined Furrer in the eight that won the state gold, and, along with fellow crewmates Spaulding and Mclean, raced in the U23 women’s coxless four that took fourth. They’re a crew of strong athletes, and with Furrer returning to this event in 2025, there is no doubt they will be looking to take this one home once again.
Buckingham Rowing Club
As the 2024 silver medalists and Tasmanian locals, Buckingham Rowing Club will be gunning to bring home the gold. With two returning athletes from the 2024 crew, Blyth and Stephens are familiar with the club four racing intensity, and, joined by Higgins and Kennett, will be utilising their performances this season. The 2025 Tasmanian State Championships saw each of these athletes achieve a number of medals, with Stephens winning gold in the championships women’s pair, and Blyth and Higgins combining to bring home the bronze. Blyth, Higgins, and Stephens also joined forces to compete in the championship women’s coxless quad, and successfully raced to a silver. For a Tasmanian crew used to competing on the picturesque Lake Barrington, they’ll undoubtedly be coming to the club women’s four finals ready to attack.
Prediction
In a category where many of the crews are explicitly combined for the event, calling a result means evaluating the crew as a whole, including the programmes, the individual athletes, and each of these overall season performances. Based on each of these factors, I feel confident in calling the winners of the club women’s four as Sydney Rowing Club – and I think it will be an impressive win. Following the gold, I think it is likely that Melbourne University Boat Club will take silver, followed by Buckingham Rowing Club for bronze. I’d be surprised if Mercantile Rowing Club weren’t following closely to take the fourth position in an exceptionally competitive field.
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