The Reindeer Regatta delivers one final hit-out before Christmas, and with the Head of the Yarra behind them, athletes are primed for fast, competitive racing. The under-21 events offer an early glimpse of what’s ahead when racing returns in January, and with the season just kicking off, athletes are ready to make the most of early 2km racing. While only two crews are entered in this year’s U21 women’s eight, we should still expect quick times and perhaps a close margin.
Nepean Composite
This year’s Nepean/Leichhardt composite is made up of Simkovic, Moore, Leal-Henville, Dwyer, Whitelaw, Harris, Taylor, Young, and Head (c). With most of this crew coming off a strong campaign at the Australian Rowing Championships, they will undoubtedly be solid contenders in this year’s eights race. Whitelaw & Taylor won the U19 double at last year’s Sydney Rowing Club regatta and placed middle of the pack in the Australian Rowing Championship semifinal. With multiple members of this crew’s athletes being considerably younger than the age cut-off, this eight will need to get out in front early and control the tempo of the race.
UTS Haberfield
Entering this year’s race, UTS Haberfield stands out as the clear favourites, fielding an eight stacked with domestic and international talent. Several athletes in the crew bring proven success from the 2025 Australian Rowing Championships: Madeleine Manins, Bianca Rupnik-Williams, Madeleine Swain, and Hannah Alexander finished a close fourth in the U21 eight, while U19 sculler Charlotte Ollivier narrowly missed the podium in the U19 double. Manins and Swain also contributed to the NSW Youth Eight that won interstate gold earlier this year. Chelsea Baker claimed gold in the St Catherine’s Schoolgirl Eight before racing at the U19 World Rowing Championships in Lithuania, where she joined Swain in the Australian eight. With an eight of this pedigree, they will certainly be ones to watch.
Prediction
This year’s U21 eight features several standout NSW youth athletes, but it is the UTS Haberfield crew that enters the race with particularly formidable strength & firepower that will be hard to ignore, so I’ll take them for gold. Even so, Nepean’s crew is unlikely to be far behind, promising a competitive contest.
