As the second-biggest regatta on the calendar, you’d normally expect all the top rowers to make their way to the New South Wales State Championships this weekend. This year’s a bit different – the men’s National Training Centre is on camp this week and not competing at the Sydney International Regatta Centre.
No NTC? No worries for what’s still a strong field in the open men’s single. There are former Australian representatives wanting to get back into the green and gold, up-and-comers wanting to make a name for themselves, and former lightweights aiming to emulate Mitch Reinhard and Oscar McGuinness’ recent success.
Picking the winner out of 17 entries is tough – but we’ve tried below.
There are a few that stand out at the top of the field, not least Mercantile’s Dom Frederico. He won silver in the open and interstate men’s singles at last year’s Australian Rowing Championships (ARC) behind Oscar McGuinness, before another silver at the 2025 Melbourne Head Race, this time behind former Australian representative Rohan Lavery. This is a great opportunity for Frederico with the NTC athletes away.
There are two Queensland front-runners looking to challenge Frederico, though neither represents a Queensland club. Former Australian representative Cormac Kennedy-Leverett is making a comeback, rowing for Sydney Rowing Club in Canberra after moving from the Gold Coast. He made up over a boat length over the last 200m or so at the recent Small Boats Regatta to get within half a second of Sam Green, currently rowing for UTS Haberfield. Green’s added some good speed this season and will look to build on his sixth in the B final of the open men’s singles at last year’s Australian Rowing Championships. His battle with the rising Hamish Danks from Sydney University will be fascinating – Green won the Small Boats single, Danks the Reindeer Regatta single, so we’ll wait to see who will come out on top when they (likely) meet in the final on Saturday.
Speaking of the Interstate Regatta, the 2025 ACT and New South Wales representatives are there too and not without a shot. The Australian National University’s Hamish Harding won bronze in the open and interstate single at last year’s ARC, although he seems to be a few seconds off the pace this season. This includes an 11-second loss to Kennedy-Leverett at last weekend’s ANU Regatta in Canberra. Sydney’s Nicholas Mirow finished behind Harding in the interstate race after being a late substitution; he then pipped Harding at the Small Boats Regatta last month.
The dark horse in all of this is the 2025 Western Australian champion Ben Clayton. The University of WA sculler set a competitive time in that win, and will want to make the trip over east worth his while.
There are a few other storylines worth following as well. Banks’ Nick Szigeter and James Meads are in different heats but will want to either set the best times or qualify for the final. Likewise, South Australians Joshua Lasscock (Adelaide) and Hamish Allen (Adelaide University). Sydney’s Pasha Bevan and Alex Wolf have a slightly more open heat and will likely battle Sydney University’s Tom Anderson and Kand’s Tom Coates for the final qualification spot. Mercantile’s Jordan Roberts and Drummoyne’s Nicholas Brown have the hardest job of all – getting into the top four of a heat containing Mirow, Harding, Kennedy-Leverett and Danks.
Prediction
Dom Frederico is our favourite, although we’re saying that with no real confidence, given the field’s quality. We’ll tip him to finish first, ahead of Cormac Kennedy-Leverett in second and Sam Green in third.
