Head of the Schoolgirls 2024 – The Preview

This weekend sees the culmination of the Schoolgirl rowing season take place in Victoria, Australia, with the much-anticipated Head of the Schoolgirls Regatta.

With the potential blue-green algae issues seemingly resolved in Geelong, it promises to be an exciting spectacle for all involved down on the Barwon River. This year’s regatta has 40 events on offer, with 469 crews and 2,186 athletes taking part. Racing takes place over three consecutive days with heats on Friday, repechages and semi-finals on Saturday and finals on Sunday. The parents and supporters that attend the event make it the closest experience to the Henley Royal Regatta that Australian schoolgirls will get domestically.

Open events are taking place over 1500m, and Year 9 and 10 events over 1000m. This preview will focus on crews racing in Division One of their respective year levels.

A Note on Shelford School

Before the previews, JRN would like to acknowledge that this HOSG is the final one for Shelford School. The girls from Shelly will be heading out in their distinctive kit for the final time and it will be great to see the Schoolgirl rowing community show their support for this one final hurrah.

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Year 9

The Year 9 Head of the Schoolgirls Division One quad is arguably the hardest event to win in Australia. With all the schools now sculling at Year 9, 19 extremely high-quality crews will fight it out for their inaugural HOSG title. At the Junior Girls State Championships, a mere seven-tenths of a second separated two of the traditional powerhouses of Victorian schoolgirl rowing: MLC and Loreto Toorak. Unless Melbourne Girls Grammar School have managed to close the gap, the winner is likely to be one of these two.

The Year 9 single looks likely to head to Korowa AGS this year, with Junior State Championships winner V Whithouse looking like the early favourite. She is sure to be pushed hard by McFarlane of Corowa (nee The Scots School). Given it is the Year 9 single, anything could happen, and a left field entry could swoop in at the last moment to steal the title.

In the Year 9 double scull, Korowa’s Nguyen is going into the event as the favoured pairing after a solid six-second win at the states. Silver and bronze medalists Toorak and Barwon from Kardinia are likely to push them hard, with potentially the second Korowa crew also in the mix for a podium spot.

Year 10

Starting with the Year 10 coxed four, a clean sweep is certain for Ballarat High School; with only four entries in the event – and all of them from Ballarat High – this is an open and shut category.

In the Year 10 quads, fifteen crews will fight it out. Loreto Toorak again feature as one of the favourites for this event, but go in as second bet behind Melbourne Girls Grammar School, thanks to their 1.77 second win over Loreto at the junior states. Ruyton Girls are also in the mix, as is a potentially very quick Firbank crew, who only missed out on the A final at juniors thanks to drawing MGGS in the heat.

All four of the A-finalists in the Year 10 eight at junior states are again lining up at the HOSG regatta. Geelong College were victorious on that occasion, but local derby rivals Geelong Grammar will be pumped up at the opportunity to race down the track, having been excluded from the final at juniors.

The Year 10 double scull looks likely to go the way of Sacred Heart School. Their comfortable 12-second margin over third place Genazzano at juniors is likely too much to overturn, unless a new combination proves successful. The second-placed crew from juniors, Corowa, are split into other boats.

The Year 10 single only looks to have one destination this year. Haileybury and Mercantile’s Cate McNeil is the big favourite to take out this event, having won juniors by a massive 17 seconds and achieved some strong results throughout the season, notably medalling in the championship schoolgirl double scull at New South Wales State Championships.

School Open Single Scull

The initial entry into the open single was the largest on the docket, though withdrawals of six of the entrants saw the field contract from 28 to 22.

The senior Victorian State Championship title was won by Alice Joyce of Barwon Rowing Club (Christian College Geelong), but a potential curveball has entered in the form of McCarthy from Haileybury. Notable for her success at NSW states with pair and doubles partner Cate McNeil, McCarthy may well go into this event as favourite over the local Joyce. Expect Hearn and Hall Krause to put up competition, with these four the likely A-finalists.

School Open Double Scull

Strong early favourites in this event are the two boats from Albert Park College. This four have had a high level of success in the double sculls over the past few years and look well placed to carry it on here. Only winning bronze at Victoria Senior State Championships, the two crews that bested them there are all entered elsewhere, giving the APC girls a clear run at the title. Given the heartbreak of last year for Paine, she’ll be desperate to sign off her APC career with a gold medal. The Shelford crew of Cochlan and Higgins could well be in the hunt for a bronze.

School Open Coxed Four

Three Ballarat crews and Caulfield Grammar School take to the water to decide the three medal places. Despite the traditional focus of the Ballarat schools, Caulfield go into this event as the current state schoolgirl coxed four champions, and therefore the most likely to take the title. Their two-second margin to Clarendon will be tough to defend, but given the eleven seconds between Clarendon and Loreto Ballarat, the gold is likely to be fought out between the red and blue teams.

School Open Coxed Quad Scull

Ten boats take to the water to race for the tile of school coxed quad champion. The form this season has been inconsistent, with multiple schools securing wins at various regattas. The winners at senior states were Ruyton Girls School, continuing their strong dynasty with a tight win by just over a second to Melbourne Girls College. The winners in the under 21 quad at senior states, however, was Gippsland Grammar, with a ten-second margin over Albert Park, who themselves beat Strathcona to second place by three seconds.

Korowa AGS were absent from the regatta due to an unfortunate outbreak of COVID. Toorak College will make a first division one appearance for the year at HOSG with two strong scullers on board; early season competitors Kardinia are also still in the mix. This is one of the most exciting events on the card this year due to its unpredictable nature – finalists and winners are likely to come from any of the named crews above.

School Open Coxed Eight

A two-horse race between two shades of blue, Loreto Toorak and Melbourne Girls Grammar School have traded blows all season, with the most recent landed at the Victorian State Championships where Loreto finished in front of MGGS in the U21 event, whilst MGGS pipped Loreto in the Schoolgirl event.

Either way, this promises to be a phenomenal race between two genuinely strong boats. A lot could well come down to who gets off the line quickest, with the shorter 1500m course potentially proving decisive. Third place looks likely to go to St Catherine’s School, although an improving Firbank crew will aim to spoil their party.

Conclusion

In short, this year’s Head of The Schoolgirls is set to provide an exhilarating spectacle along the Barwon River, with traditional powerhouses and emerging contenders vying for glory, ensuring an unforgettable weekend for all involved.

Good luck to everyone racing!

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