GPS schoolboy rowing 2024
- Thread starter Professor62
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Once upon a time in this forum, I posted questioning why everyone was counting shore out of the 1 VIII, I said the top 4 crews would go any way (approx. 4/5 weeks out before St Josephs became a force to be reckoned with), though everyone counted shore out in 4th, its good to see that they managed to prove everyone wrong.
-Legs
-Legs
it's_marvellous2024
Frank Row (1)
Last year Grammar managed to put out two VIIIs, four IVs, and a 3rd VIII, however this year numbers were much smaller with only three senior crews racing. The 1st IV struggled to row together during the season, and only had 3 or 4 sessions as a crew before HOTR due to illness and injury forcing their boys to row for the 2nd VIII. Grammar stepped it up this year, with lower average erg scores, and 9 sessions a week in the peak of the season (incl. gym/erg) and managed to translate that on the big day.
I hear that Scots suffered from some changes to the coaching staff in the fortnight before the day which may have impacted their performance (7th) but not 100% sure.
The Chairman
Tom Lawton (22)
2023/24 Season Debrief for each School.
St Joseph’s: The headline for this season was “All or Nothing”. They went all in and got the jackpot, easy as that. A First VIII consisting of only Year 12s can be very risky, but the lads at Hunters Hill played it to perfection. Marked their names as the early favourites after a few strong showings, then to get knocked off and wollopped by King’s and seem down and out, to absolutely romping the field on HOTR day, this has been quite the season for the St Joseph’s shed. No doubt the next few years will be relatively mediocre, but they have had their successful charge and with the Ignatius coaches of Curtin, Bokeyar, Courts and McDonald all being alum from Hunters Hill, i’m sure it was one bittersweet victory. Some potential is in the First Junior, but past that it will be a long road to recovery. Lane has done it once, how long will it take for him to do it again?
King’s: King’s will be disappointed and they have every right to be. A season which they would most certainly want to have again, they much like St Joseph’s went all or nothing, but they got nothing. Rogers, Hines, McClean and Mason’s final year was not one they would have enjoyed. This season had all the markings of a Huxley victory in Mid-March. Started off slow, got their act together and dominated before having a race they would want to have again. The future is uncertain for them, but the performance from the Third IV, Second VIII and First Junior VIII will most certainly give them something to look forward to in the future. Still favoured for next year, all be it that they were certainly wanting to get it this year to mark their dynasty. Will they get up and go again?
Shore: What started out as a horror show turned into a remarkable comeback story. Shore were looking down the barrel after a horror HOTR in 2023, but what a turn around. Never count out a champion. The institutional discipline, the work ethic and the expert coaching helped them push far above their weight. From the First VIII being in a photo finish with Grammar, to beating the crews from Ignatius and King’s is a great turnaround. Their Fours program is confusing, a fantastic performance from the Fourth IV followed by a few mediocre ones, and then a relatively average Second VIII performance. However, the light at the end of the tunnel is bright, and with the First Junior VIII being back in business, as a Shore supporter I am excited for what is ahead. Strong challengers for next year, and Bates and Baker have done phenomenal work in the turnaround.
Newington: Newington continues their form of good but not great results. There is potential in their program, but it just fails to move up that next step. They had alot of ingredients for success this year. Mitchell had a great erg, Grippi with an excellent power to weight and Fuller being a very good rower, however they just cant seem to take the next step from a 4th or 3rd to a 2nd or 1st. Junior VIII’s are nothing to get excited about, and I wouldn’t say they are strong challengers next year. I will say, there is most certainly light at the end of the tunnel for them however. Year 9 Quads are producing brilliant results, and they most certainly will be a force to be reckoned with in Junior VIII’s if they make a good transition. It’s their best shot in years, so lets hope they don't bottle it.
St Ignatius: If I were Dan Noonan I wouldnt be happy but I would not be panicing. Despite a break in the dominance, Ignatius show signs of promise. They wont be happy with the First Eight, but i’m sure Curtin and Noonan know that next year will be their best shot back at the Rennie. Stern 4 of the First Eight being only year 11s and still producing a 4th place is something to be excited about. Combine that with the dominance of the Second VIII, First and Second IVs and a few Junior VIIIs and they are still in a very promising position. Again large contenders for next year.
Grammar: Success is a word that would underpin Grammars season. Moving far above their usual 7th position, the boys from Edgecliff performed very well at HOTR, and much to the credit of Will Ellis. Iredale has made strides that Smith couldn’t and for the first time really since their victory in 2011, they looked promising and got out of the 7th placed hoodoo. Their future is confusing. A few returning rowers shows promise but nothing serious that could challenge. Imagine if Kostka and Hyde remained in that First VIII! They most certainly could’ve gone places. But nonetheless a successful season from Iredale’s men.
Scots: A program in rebuild since the departure of Baker had to have it’s down year and it seemed to all come crashing down out on the course for Scots. A school that pride their rowing program on punching above their weight and always outperforming hit a crashing reality this year. The new 1st VIII Coach Noon will have alot on his plate in the coming years, and with the departure of Pursehouse and other key rowers within the shed, I can’t see them moving anywhere anytime soon. A long road to recovery for a deeply wounded program seems to be the theme for Scots.
Sydney Boys High: What can we make of SBHS? The longest drought still standing at 73 years will not be snapped in the next 10 years. There has to be some massive institutional change for them to even get back into the realm of competitiveness. What was once the best and most reknowned schools for Rowing is now just a joke. Am I being a bit harsh? Sure. But I just want to see them come back into the fold as a proud rowing school and just as a schoolboy rowing fan in general. Hopefully someday they can get it back, but until them it will just be more of the same mediocrity.
St Joseph’s: The headline for this season was “All or Nothing”. They went all in and got the jackpot, easy as that. A First VIII consisting of only Year 12s can be very risky, but the lads at Hunters Hill played it to perfection. Marked their names as the early favourites after a few strong showings, then to get knocked off and wollopped by King’s and seem down and out, to absolutely romping the field on HOTR day, this has been quite the season for the St Joseph’s shed. No doubt the next few years will be relatively mediocre, but they have had their successful charge and with the Ignatius coaches of Curtin, Bokeyar, Courts and McDonald all being alum from Hunters Hill, i’m sure it was one bittersweet victory. Some potential is in the First Junior, but past that it will be a long road to recovery. Lane has done it once, how long will it take for him to do it again?
King’s: King’s will be disappointed and they have every right to be. A season which they would most certainly want to have again, they much like St Joseph’s went all or nothing, but they got nothing. Rogers, Hines, McClean and Mason’s final year was not one they would have enjoyed. This season had all the markings of a Huxley victory in Mid-March. Started off slow, got their act together and dominated before having a race they would want to have again. The future is uncertain for them, but the performance from the Third IV, Second VIII and First Junior VIII will most certainly give them something to look forward to in the future. Still favoured for next year, all be it that they were certainly wanting to get it this year to mark their dynasty. Will they get up and go again?
Shore: What started out as a horror show turned into a remarkable comeback story. Shore were looking down the barrel after a horror HOTR in 2023, but what a turn around. Never count out a champion. The institutional discipline, the work ethic and the expert coaching helped them push far above their weight. From the First VIII being in a photo finish with Grammar, to beating the crews from Ignatius and King’s is a great turnaround. Their Fours program is confusing, a fantastic performance from the Fourth IV followed by a few mediocre ones, and then a relatively average Second VIII performance. However, the light at the end of the tunnel is bright, and with the First Junior VIII being back in business, as a Shore supporter I am excited for what is ahead. Strong challengers for next year, and Bates and Baker have done phenomenal work in the turnaround.
Newington: Newington continues their form of good but not great results. There is potential in their program, but it just fails to move up that next step. They had alot of ingredients for success this year. Mitchell had a great erg, Grippi with an excellent power to weight and Fuller being a very good rower, however they just cant seem to take the next step from a 4th or 3rd to a 2nd or 1st. Junior VIII’s are nothing to get excited about, and I wouldn’t say they are strong challengers next year. I will say, there is most certainly light at the end of the tunnel for them however. Year 9 Quads are producing brilliant results, and they most certainly will be a force to be reckoned with in Junior VIII’s if they make a good transition. It’s their best shot in years, so lets hope they don't bottle it.
St Ignatius: If I were Dan Noonan I wouldnt be happy but I would not be panicing. Despite a break in the dominance, Ignatius show signs of promise. They wont be happy with the First Eight, but i’m sure Curtin and Noonan know that next year will be their best shot back at the Rennie. Stern 4 of the First Eight being only year 11s and still producing a 4th place is something to be excited about. Combine that with the dominance of the Second VIII, First and Second IVs and a few Junior VIIIs and they are still in a very promising position. Again large contenders for next year.
Grammar: Success is a word that would underpin Grammars season. Moving far above their usual 7th position, the boys from Edgecliff performed very well at HOTR, and much to the credit of Will Ellis. Iredale has made strides that Smith couldn’t and for the first time really since their victory in 2011, they looked promising and got out of the 7th placed hoodoo. Their future is confusing. A few returning rowers shows promise but nothing serious that could challenge. Imagine if Kostka and Hyde remained in that First VIII! They most certainly could’ve gone places. But nonetheless a successful season from Iredale’s men.
Scots: A program in rebuild since the departure of Baker had to have it’s down year and it seemed to all come crashing down out on the course for Scots. A school that pride their rowing program on punching above their weight and always outperforming hit a crashing reality this year. The new 1st VIII Coach Noon will have alot on his plate in the coming years, and with the departure of Pursehouse and other key rowers within the shed, I can’t see them moving anywhere anytime soon. A long road to recovery for a deeply wounded program seems to be the theme for Scots.
Sydney Boys High: What can we make of SBHS? The longest drought still standing at 73 years will not be snapped in the next 10 years. There has to be some massive institutional change for them to even get back into the realm of competitiveness. What was once the best and most reknowned schools for Rowing is now just a joke. Am I being a bit harsh? Sure. But I just want to see them come back into the fold as a proud rowing school and just as a schoolboy rowing fan in general. Hopefully someday they can get it back, but until them it will just be more of the same mediocrity.
Glory to the wyvern
Stan Wickham (3)
*Lane has done it twice....
Mrallpushnopull2
Banned
Yeah - this. Whilst I don't want to diminish the big wins by Joey's and Shore, this result of the day genuinely shocked me. Just as a quick overview:
- When this year was in juniors, they won hotr and nationals by lengths
- 5 of them made the 1st VIII last year, 2 very highly ranked in the 2nd VIII, and 1 apart of the dominant 1st Junior VIII
- Thus, the majority of this crew have had 2 seasons under a coach whose worst result (bar Saturday) is 2nd since 2019.
- They came second last year at HOTR (a 5:59 in much worse conditions then this year)
- They fitted in as much training as they could have fit without injuries (from what i've heard, they typically did not eat lunch, but rather knocked out 40 minutes on the erg instead and took a takeaway meal to class)
- They looked to be the form crew by 4 seconds in the middle of their 'hell week' only 3 weeks out.
When a crew doesn't win, it hurts a bit.
When a winning crew doesn't win, it downright sucks.
The Chairman
Tom Lawton (22)
I think this was really meant to be the year where it all came together and it just didnt in the end.
Backintheolddays
Bill Watson (15)
Looking to the future the New year 9s absolutely dominated this year. Hope they can continue the quality and quantity forward in the jnr VIIIs. Be great for the school and sport.
Very disappointed for the Kings 1st VIII, were a quality boat but such is the beauty of sport, anything can happen on the day.
Hasn’t been discussed but I think Joeys strategy on Saturday was perfect, they did a Shore and were good enough to hold it. Such a strong lead early disrupted their opposition, who’d have thought Shore would finish over the top of View and Kings.
Was a fantastic day.
Very disappointed for the Kings 1st VIII, were a quality boat but such is the beauty of sport, anything can happen on the day.
Hasn’t been discussed but I think Joeys strategy on Saturday was perfect, they did a Shore and were good enough to hold it. Such a strong lead early disrupted their opposition, who’d have thought Shore would finish over the top of View and Kings.
Was a fantastic day.
Professor62
Ted Fahey (11)
What times are we expecting to see from the QLD crews this upcoming weekend at nationals? I don't see any of them going sub 5:55 in my opinion.
-Professor
-Professor
The Chairman
Tom Lawton (22)
St Joseph’s played the race perfectly, and credit to Yates on a well-coxed race. The strategy had to be sieze the intiative at the 600, force a response from the others and control the race. They played it well, and that 2nd 500 won them the race. Others were too slow to respond and couldn’t get back quick enough. Good strategy and good coxing.
I think that this kind of analysis is akin to reading trashy airport novels. Predicting that Joeys will have several mediocre years is silly. The nucleus of the VIII that won on Saturday came 5th or 6th as a year 10 VIII (although they had serious external challenges and didn’t get to race at potential). Also the year 8 and year 9 quads had fabulous seasons . There is a lot of good development work going on at the shed. Perhaps they won’t get the bickies over the next few years but it won’t be mediocre (oh and the crew was majority year 12 not all year 12).
Last year, Newington performed quite well in their 1st and 2nd Year 9 quads last year (22-23), however this year (23-24), their first junior came 5th.
Quads don't translate.
-Legs
Agent
Bill Watson (15)
Well done Joeys on your win in the 1st VIII
Who are the year 11 boys from this years 1st VIII's that will be back next year? Are there any up and coming guns to keep an eye out for from the fours or junior eights?
Who are the year 11 boys from this years 1st VIII's that will be back next year? Are there any up and coming guns to keep an eye out for from the fours or junior eights?
bladebender
Bob McCowan (2)
Most of the kings first junior have a good shot for a place in the first VIII, Just to name a few Millward, Matthews and blatchford.
ReluctantRower
Allen Oxlade (6)
You should be able to re-watch the live stream on YouTube or wherever it was streamed.
Grip 'n Rip
Allen Oxlade (6)
M.Dooley will return.
Shame the Moloney twins are both underage but in year 12
And of course yates(c) still has 2 more years worth of rowing
ReluctantRower
Allen Oxlade (6)
With this terrible fours program, to be honest I cannot see Joey's glory this year becoming a dynasty of any sort. Along with a quad and junior VIII fleet that for the most part are battling through every race, Joeys certainly have some work to do.
ruckmesideways
Banned
the truth is you have to perform on the day. When push comes to shove and the legs begin to burn, it doesn't matter how many lunches you have missed to complete ergs. The only thing that matters is how far are you willing to go to put your bow ball in front. Joeys nailed this and went all the way, it sucks to see some crews not.
FCD
Banned
At the 2023 Head of the River SGS had no Year 10 VIIIs. The AAGPS Rowing Convenor, and former SGS Director of Rowing, stacked a 3rd VIII. They won...
FCD
Banned
Are you suggesting that, like in 2020, the coaches mucked up the taper? Or that the crew didn't do enough work in Term one?
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