Image Credit: Rowing New South Wales
The Western Australia State Championships is one of the earliest opportunities for 2000m racing in Australia, with the Western state’s competition calendar running earlier than that of the Eastern clubs. Western Australia has produced promising talent in the last few years, becoming a powerhouse pathway in the women’s sweep field. With that in mind, exciting races are certainly on the cards.
Swan River Rowing Club
The crew from Swan River will no doubt be fierce contenders for the state title. The boat is packed with international experience and plenty of future talent. Stepping into the stroke seat fresh off the back of her second consecutive U23 coxless four campaign, where she defended her crew’s bronze medal, Pretorius specialises in the four. She, therefore, possesses serious potency here. The crew will be further bolstered by Spencer in the two-seat, who brings a wealth of racing experience despite her young age, having returned from her second U19 World Rowing Championships campaign in the coxless four. Finally, we have Murray and Netherway, who will look to better their second-place finish from the fourth RWA Pennant Regatta and claim the state title.
West Australia Rowing Club
WARC‘s women’s four has seen success at Pennant Regatta 4, clinching the gold medal with a comfortable five-second margin, and will undoubtedly be seeking the state title as the capstone to their state-based season. With only one returner from last year’s boat, which claimed bronze, the crew will be relieved in Patten‘s homecoming from the Paris Olympic Games and Women’s National Training Centre. Her return could be the key to the boat’s success, bringing exceptional power and a wealth of technical ability back to her home soil. Therefore, with her guidance, the boat will be a massive threat, and could take quite the effort to overpower.
Fremantle Rowing Club
The only club to field two crews, Fremantle will be eager to retain their title as reigning state champions in this event. Cannon and Broad will provide a good framework for the young crew after a year of racing in the U23 pair last season. Although the previous iteration of the Fremantle four lagged behind the field at Pennant Regatta 4, possibly as they are the youngest boat of the field, Broad’s return, along with her and Cannon’s racing experience, will greatly aid the crew. This could be the perfect recipe to build their confidence and show the seasoned veterans how it’s done by clinching the gold.
Prediction
It is hard to look past the Swan River crew for gold-medal contention, chock-full of recent underage Australian reps and hailing from WA’s powerhouse club of young women sweepers. They have the perfect amount of experience alongside fresh legs to get them across the line first, and the four is almost certainly that crew’s speciality. They could be undone by Patten and her WARC crew if they can replicate their recent success, and similarly, if Cannon’s Fremantle crew can use their youth to their advantage, they have a solid chance at putting the pressure on the older crews. In a pinch, I’d see Swan River taking home the title, though not without close contest from WARC, and Fremantle bringing up the rear of the Perth podium.
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