Photo Credit: Rowing NSW
This year marks the 63rd Head of the Yarra, an iconic head race along the river which defines the city of Melbourne. The eight-kilometre course remains one that is culturally significant within Australian rowing, allowing crews that may not traditionally win in the two-kilometre format to display the endurance they’ve built over the preseason and test the longevity and mental strength of crew combinations.
This year, masters once again filled many of the elusive entry places, leaving limited spots for contention in the schoolgirl divisions. Additionally, due to a scratching, only two schoolgirl eights will race in division one – although the rivalry of states and club versus school boats will be sure to make contentious racing.
The University of Queensland Boat Club
The University of Queensland Boat Club (UQBC) has been a prominent force in high-performance rowing for many years. The club has consistently fielded a range of successful juniors, many of which have made junior Australian teams. Said athletes have shown success on an international stage – such as the large population of UQBC members that made up the highly successful U21 Australian team at the Trans-Tasman regatta earlier this year. The club’s entry to the Head of the Yarra contains a range of rowers, some coming up from the U17 boat class last year, while others experienced the more competitive U19 class. Five members of the eight placed in the top five across a range of boat classes at this year’s Australian National Championships, with Murphy notably claiming a bronze in the U19 coxless four whilst competing for the club. Furthermore, leadership and experience will undoubtedly be provided to the crew by the likes of Hatzipertrou, Coates and Murphy, who narrowly missed out on a national medal in the U19 eight last year. Despite that, said racing experience will undoubtedly give this mix of athletes a competitive edge. The talent identification of UQBC is further proved by this eight’s individual results at the recent QLD Schools’ Championship Regatta. Despite the disadvantage a club eight inherently has within the Schoolgirl class – four of this eight’s members all hail from the first eight of Brisbane Girls Grammar School, who placed fourth at the Schools’ Championships. Despite the disappointing result for the squad, their rivals at the time now sit in the boat as crew mates. This includes Sands and Murphy, who won the boat class whilst representing All Hallows’ School. Moreover, the race was hotly contended by St Peters Lutheran College and St Margaret’s School, the boats of which contained Rayner and Rossiter respectively. Endurance and mental stamina will undoubtedly be a factor that determines the success of this boat down the gruelling 8km course. Two athletes in particular have displayed such – with Rossiter and Murphy both winning four medals at the recent Schools’ Championships. The well-oiled combination of Dunbar and Coates will help maintain the rhythm and consistency of the boat, as they have recently won the SG pair at the same regatta. Thus, despite UQBC not being on their home turf at the Yarra, the experience of this crew should make them the prime contender to win.
Korowa Anglican Girls School
Korowa has had a particularly fun start to their season, with the school competing in a range of regattas for both its intermediate and senior crews, including fielding a range of boats for the Australian Coastal Rowing Championships – some of which brought home silverware. This year’s eight is comprised of a range of rowers, though most of which have a history of competing in sculling, making this, for many, one of the first key senior races in the sweeping discipline. The primary strength of this eight is its experience and culture as a squad, with the team having already competed in multiple head races this season, including the Foot of the Goulburn and Melbourne Head. These races revealed the strength of Whithouse and Tan as a combination. The pair were able to clutch a second place at Melbourne Head, a particularly impressive feat considering it was both their second race of the day – following a hotly contended quad event earlier that morning. Whithouse and Waddell have also displayed composure in longer races – winning together alongside coxswain Nguyen in the Foot of the Goulbourn. Despite being the only competitors in the first division of the schoolgirl quad, their time surpassed the winners of division two by over a minute on the 5.2km course. If the crew can utilise the experience of some of their key rowers alongside the excellent culture built within the squad, they will be able to produce a result that affirms their status as a division one eight.
Prediction
The high-performance status and continued success of the members rowing for UQBC undoubtedly make this crew the favourite. Regardless, the crew from Korowra will definitely be one to watch. With the tried and tested leadership of the older members of their squad, it will be interesting to see how well they can guide their boat down the course.
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