The Rowing NSW Small Boats Regatta will be the first opportunity of the new year for the U21 cohort to showcase the physical and technical effects of their efforts over January and scope out their main competitors as they head deeper into the season, which includes the NSW State Championships, the Australian Rowing National Championships, and the all-important NSW and Australian Team selections.
Although this field is smaller than other events, with many in this age group opting to scull, its designation as a selection requirement for the NSW youth eight means we can expect an exciting showdown among the five crews entered.
UTS Haberfield Rowing Club – Madeleine Swain and Madeleine Manins.
The UTS Haberfield Rowing Club duo of Madeleine Swain and Madeleine Manins bring a wealth of experience to this field, with indicators from prior seasons suggesting phenomenal boat speed. Swain and Manins are no strangers to each other – nor high-pressure racing – having both been members of Australia’s strongest schoolgirl eight of the past two domestic seasons: the crew from St Catherine’s School. The pair were vital members of both St Catherine’s crews that competed at Henley Royal Regatta in the The Prince Philip Challenge Trophy in 2023 and 2024.
This combination has yet to showcase its transition from schoolgirl rowing to high-performance club competition, and as such, it will be interesting to see how it adapts from the larger, more power-focused eight to the more technically demanding small boat. Nonetheless, Swain and Manins will undoubtedly be keen to make a strong impression and look to emerge as the crew to watch in this event this season.
Sydney Rowing Club – Nicole Vance and Lara Vahle.
This all-international crew from Sydney Rowing Club could emerge as the dark horse in this field of five. Coached by U23 World Championship-winning coach Lachlan Carter and 2020 British Rowing Coach of the Year, Florence Griffiths, Nicole Vance and Lara Vahle will be an intimidating sight for locals to behold.
Vance, hailing from Rangi Ruru Girls’ School in Christchurch, represented New Zealand at the U19 World Rowing Championships in 2023 as a member of the women’s eight and has already made a strong impression at Sydney Rowing Club, despite only being in Australia for a few months, securing a seat in their top eight at the Head of the Yarra last November. Joining Vance is Vahle, a Shiplake College graduate who competed on home water at Henley Royal Regatta in The Prince Philip Challenge Trophy last year, narrowly missing out on a place in the semifinals. Vance and Vahle will be eager to make their first trip out to Penrith worthwhile and should definitely not be underestimated despite being a new name to Australian audiences.
UTS Haberfield Rowing Club – Zoe Fallon and Siennah Morgan.
The second UTS Haberfield Rowing Club pair contesting this event is the combination of Zoe Fallon and Siennah Morgan. Morgan, another St Catherine’s graduate and Henley Royal Regatta competitor in 2023, enjoyed promising results in her first year out of school last season as a medallist at both the NSW State Championships and Australian National Championships for UTS.
This regatta, she will be joined by Fallon—the daughter of two-time Olympic rower Alison Davies and a recent graduate of Loreto Kirribilli. Fallon was a prominent member of their first eight last season, so she will add great strength and skill to this crew. This is another combination that has yet to appear on the SIRC course, but with coach Sam Fennessy at the helm and Swain and Manins to paddle alongside, we can expect this crew to have made some significant gains over the summer.
Predictions
UTS’ top pair of Swain and Manins will take some beating; I expect them to secure gold. Behind them, the competition is tighter, though Sydney Rowing Club’s Vance and Vahle seem likely to pip the second UTS pair to complete the podium.
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