Image Credit: Rowing New South Wales
Of all the 2024 NSW All Schools Championships events, the Schoolboy Fours might be the most fascinating. Although there are only three schools entered, all three have some serious pedigree in the event over the last few years. Canberra Grammar are the reigning champions at this regatta; St Augustine’s have been national and world champions in recent years, while St Joseph’s College produced three of this year’s junior world champions.
With two Australian U19 World Rowing Championship crews in the coxed fours in the last three years, crews know a good performance here could potentially lead to a green and gold zootie in Lithuania in 2025.
So who’s going to lay their marker down first?
Canberra Grammar School
Canberra Grammar School are bringing their four fours rocking up the Hume to Penrith this weekend. Two of last year’s Independent Schools Championships-winning crew in Cameron Schmidt and Nicolaas Van Der Walt return in 2024, albeit in different crews.
The first crew of Murphy, McGregor, Schmidt, Griffiths and Balogun had a decisive win in Canberra at the start of the month, beating the second crew of Maclean, Dafter, Van Der Walt, Tremopoulos and Robson by nearly 15 seconds over the 1800m course. The third CGS crew of Vagg, Bridgewater, Pracy, Ellis and Wu were only a couple of seconds back again in third, suggesting a tight race for the intra-school bragging rights. The fourth crew scratched from that regatta, so it will be interesting to see how Brooks, Olofsen, Chesworth, Berry and Pouncey fare on Saturday.
The first two crews showed their sweep prowess at the end of their local regatta with a five-second win over a strong Canberra Rowing Club crew featuring ACTAS athletes Darcy James and Jesse Rosin, as well as experienced sweep rowers William Legge and James Waldersee.
St Augustine’s College
How do you beat a Judith Ungemach-coached St Augstine’s College coxed four? It’s not impossible, but you’ll need to bring your A-game. Their 2022 U19 Australian champions became world champions in Varese that year, rowing through South African and Turkish crews to bring home Australia’s only gold at that year’s U19 World Rowing Championships. The following year, a slightly different crew did the U19/schoolboy double at the Australian Rowing Championships, missing out on bronze by 0.22s.
What does this all mean? St Augustine’s will be very hard to beat. It’s challenging to get a read on how Cao, Wise, Parker, Pender and Taylor will go after they scratched at the recent Sydney Grammar School Regatta. With Ungemach on the bank and 2022 world champion Ryder Taylor in the coxswain’s seat, you know they’ll be closer to the front than the back though.
St Joseph’s College
The other school with recent world champions are St Joseph’s College. Three of them became world champions at St Catharines in Canada this year with a two-second win over Italy. None of that crew are racing this regatta, leaving some big unknowns about their chances.
Both St Joseph’s crews are new this season, meaning Holgate, Phelps, Whittaker, Hopkins and Mulders and Harrs, Claire, Spork, Geach and Willis have plenty to play for. Oliver Harrs was in the first four that finished third and second at the recent St Joseph’s College Regatta, while Connor Hopkins and Bryn Whittaker were in the second four that finished third and first in their two races.
Prediction
This is the first time we’ll see Canberra crews up against Sydney this season, making it difficult to pick a winner. Based on their form at their last regatta though, I’m tipping the Canberra Grammar School first four for the win, ahead of St Augustine’s and the CGS second four.
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