The NSW Small Boats Regatta serves as the first hit out on home waters for (mostly) NSW crews, often following extensive time away from Sydney on summer training camps. For U23 aged crews, the event is often used to evaluate speed ahead of the selection-critical NSW State Championships in a fortnight’s time. The men’s singles only see a handful of entries this year, but it’s set to be a cracking race nonetheless.
Nick Whalan – Sydney Rowing Club
After two years of intense sweating, Nick Whalan is making the step up to heavyweight competition this year. After a successful U21 season, where he claimed a silver in the single at the NSW State Championships in 2024, Nick has been reasonably competitive in the U23 field at the Nepean time trials this season. It will be very intriguing to see what Nick is capable of over 2km now that he’s free from the shackles of the 72.5kg weight limit.
Oscar Beregi – UTS Haberfield Rowing Club
Another athlete who has stepped up to the U23 category this year, Oscar Beregi joins the final ‘underage’ group after a successful U21 campaign. At last year’s nationals, he took home a silver in the single, as well as a win for NSW in the Interstate Youth Eight. The Riverview Alumni will be looking to stamp his authority on this field, though, after a tight tussle at the last time trial that saw all three of these athletes separated by just six seconds over 5km.
Charlie Hine – Sydney Rowing Club
Joeys old boy Charlie Hine completes this all-GPS trio as he, too, looks forward to his first race in the U23 category this weekend. Interestingly for this preview, Charlie and Nick were competing in a pair at the early time trials of the season. However, they have now both opted for the single scull as the focus turns to 2000m racing. After a gruelling camp in the snowy mountains, seeing how this battle shapes up will be interesting.
Prediction
With margins between these three scullers being so tight at the backend of last year, expect a fiery matchup in the U23 singles this weekend. This race could go in any direction, but I expect the sculling experience that Oscar Beregi has built over the past two years will likely net him the win. Both Hine and Whalan stand every chance of overturning that, though, and whatever the result, I expect the margins to be within two boat lengths at the line.
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