The schoolgirl eights field has been a bit of a tease so far this term. We’ve had some glimmers of form, but with Kinross still easing back into things, and St Catherine’s not showing their hand at early regattas, we’ve still got a lot to learn about how this season will unfold.
Luckily, this weekend’s NSW All Schools Championships should give us a clearer picture. As the last major competition of the year, all programs will be looking to carry some momentum into the summer break and should be sharpening up a bit more for this weekend than they have so far. A mid-afternoon start time is sure to throw a curveball too, with high temperatures and strong winds forecasted for Penrith, management and race craft will play a significant role in the outcome of this race.
Pymble Ladies College
With two wins and a second under their belt this season, Pymble Ladies are well on their way to cementing themselves as a real contender in 2026. At the first race of the season, they came away with a commanding eight-second victory over a not-quite-full-strength Kinross combination. Two weeks later, it was the girls from Orange who got the win, with Pymble returning fire the next day. Each race has been won in a time quicker than the last. Interestingly, their last win came in a borrowed boat after a storm blew through SIRC the night before. Just a fortnight later, can Pymble find another gear in what is sure to be an even more competitive field?
St Catherine’s
After sitting out the first two events of term four, there’s been some intrigue surrounding the St Catherine’s eight. The rest of their squad has been racing, but their top crew has been on the sidelines. Under the eye of new head coach John Keogh, the reigning national champions are bringing a formidable combination this weekend, including junior national team representative Florence Hennessey and returning athletes Matisse Borthwick and Sarah Rupnik Williams. With the historic success of this program, this crew is sure to be fighting at the pointy end of the standings at some point this season. However, missing out on three key racing opportunities puts a question in my mind as to whether they can find that speed on their first outing.
Kinross Wolaroi
After a gentle introduction to the racing season, we’ve now got an almost full-strength Kinross crew travelling over the mountains from Orange. With only Bell Clinton from last year’s Henley eight still to return. With three members of the crew from their UK tour aboard, and a smorgasbord of national champions and medallists – including Brigid Tompson, who’s made the move from Queenwood – this crew will be raring to get one up over the field at the final race before Christmas. The only change from the last race is the return of Jane Bruce to the coxswain’s seat, who steered them in the race they won at the Kirribilli regatta. Will Kinross’ more relaxed start to the season see them hit their stride this weekend?
Canberra Grammar
A program that has seen some success in recent years, a nationals A-final in the schoolgirl four last year being the standout, Canberra Grammar could pack a surprise punch on Saturday. While they are yet to face any significant competition in eights in the ACT this year, they were reasonably competitive in the quads at last weekend’s CGGS/CGS regatta on Lake Burley Griffen. If they’re focusing on the eight and are a little more competitive in the big boats, they’ll likely be right amongst the midfield of this race.
Mosman Rowing Club
I must admit, I was both surprised and delighted to see this entry on the list for this weekend. Mosman‘s junior women’s program has been by far the most impressive in the country over the past two seasons; however, they have focused almost entirely on the sculling boats – events which they have dominated for two years. A first foray into the eight is an exciting prospect for these girls, and for junior rowing in Australia if they can pull it off. With Kirkham, Ravesteijn, Stephens, and Coates from last year’s silver-medallist U-19 quad (and the previous years’ dominant U-17 quad), joined by Heidi Heap, who has improved in leaps and bounds since joining the club, this crew has the potential to put a fly in the ointment of the traditional powerhouses in this event. This being their first time in the premier boat class, I can’t say they’ll be streaks ahead of the field this weekend, but there’s enough horsepower here to get them in the mix. By February/March? Well, that might just be a different story…
Prediction
This is a very tough one to predict, and could be thrown entirely out the door by harsh conditions come Saturday afternoon. In the spirit of alternating wins, I’m going to pick Kinross to take this one by half a length from Pymble. These two contenders will be some way ahead of the battle for bronze, which will be an intriguing showdown but should go the way of St Catherine’s over Mosman.
