New South Wales State Championships 2025 – Men’s School Eight Preview

Photo Credit: Rowing NSW

It’s 2025, and the new year beckons to the contenders. NSW State Championships is the first big test for the country’s top schoolboy eights and the first indication of who might step forward and not only cement themselves as favourites for their respective Head of the River, but also as favourites for the Australian Rowing Championships in Lake Barrington, Tasmania.

NSW State Championships is a significant regatta for its timing – marking the first major scuffle of the year and an early reality check for crews after a summer of training and camps – and its interstate nature. While NSW schools will naturally be out in force at their local state championship regatta, NSW State Championships also stand as a significant regatta in all of Australia’s great states and territories. For many years now, the itch to come to Penrith to row on the 2000 Sydney Olympic course (undoubtedly the most admirable set of buoys across a 2000m course in Australia) has been too much of a temptation for schoolboy crews from across the nation.

So who shall occupy the schoolboy rowing throne until ARC in March? Will Victorian eights dominate the top end of the field, or will New South Welsh eights? Is this a year in which an eight outside Victoria or NSW emerges as one of Australia’s best? Will old interstate rivalries be rekindled? Will new ones appear?

Recent Significant Regatta Winners: Schoolboy Eight

2024 Australian Rowing Championships: The King’s School

VIC

2024 APS Head of the River: Brighton Grammar

2025 Barwon Regatta: Scotch College

NSW

2024 AAGPS Head of the River: St Joseph’s

2025 Shore School Regatta: St Ignatius

QLD

2025 St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace Regatta: The Southport School

Crews to Watch

Brighton Grammar

Notably absent from the Barwon Regatta, Brighton Grammar arrive into 2025 as reigning APS Head of the River Champions and were right on the tail of Scotch College at the Melbourne Head Regatta in November. Brighton looks well poised for the future, with three returning members from last year’s crew setting the standards for four rowers and the cox from their 10A boat and W. Church, who has made the impressive climb from the 10B boat that raced HOTR. Brighton should never be ruled out as they race hard and punch up. If Victoria presents a fast field this year, look for Brighton to contest the podium.

Scotch College

This Scotch College boat feels ominous. There is much experience here, with all but one rower having raced in the open school divisions at the 2024 APS HOTR (four first VIII, three second VIII, and the coxswain from the 3rd VIII). The final rower has ascended from rowing 9A’s last year straight into the first VIII – remarkable for someone rowing sweep for the first time. It’s a move that harks back to the 2017 Scotch crew that went on to win at the Henley Royal Regatta. Scotch dominated at the Barwon, beating Xavier College by six seconds over 1500m, which shows they have not slipped over the summer and suggests they can remain Victorian favourites after also claiming first at the Melbourne Head Regatta in November. It is hard to tell where Brighton and Scotch may come out, but when Scotch are winning, don’t ever look away.

Shore

Nine seconds behind St Ignatius at their own regatta is not where Shore would have wanted to be, but they still sit towards the front of the chasing pack of NSW Schoolboy Eights. A healthy mix from 2024, Shore has three first VIII returners, three from the second VIII, and two from their 10A’s (as well as a cox from their first IV). All you can do is beat your competition, and Shore will come into NSW State Championships after moving through their competition from Kings, Newington, and St Joseph’s from the 500m mark to the finish line last weekend. A move through the middle like that will definitely have shown the boys in this crew that they have each others’ backs, and this kind of confidence is crucial when the extra attention and new boats from interstate line up alongside you this Saturday.

St Ignatius/Riverview

An early season 5:50 over 2km at SIRC marks St Ignatius as clear and apparent favourites. The boys from Riverview have been knocking on the door consistently in recent years, settling for fourth at HOTR last year before claiming bronze at Nationals. Crews that chalk up a low 5:50 are always ones to watch carefully, and if St Ignatius are as credible as that result, then everybody else will see them only at the start and as they pack up their boats and leave. Scotch will present a significant challenge on Saturday, but the greater challenge for St Ignatius to cement themselves this season will be consistency. The crew comprises five returning first VIII members, two from their 10A crew, and two additions from elsewhere that have clearly made a fast combination.

The Southport School

One of only two entries outside of NSW and VIC alongside Canberra Grammar, The Southport School deserves a mention because it is worth paying attention to when Queensland sends something down. This crew seems to be the best boat coming out of the North, having won at the St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace Regatta last weekend and also having raced to the Henley Royal Regatta quarterfinals in 2024, although seemingly only one member of that crew back for season 2025. Southport will likely get caught up in the well-known battles between Victorian and New South Welsh schoolboy eights, and you never know – they could creep through all the in-fighting to emerge towards the front of the pack.

Conclusion

All in all, this looks to be an event that no one will want to miss. No doubt the peloton will be packed for each heat and doubly so for the final. Whoever stands on the podium at the end will take colossal confidence back to their home state for their respective Heads of the River in the following months, but until then, Australian schoolboy rowing fans will wait with bated breath.

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