Historically, Erne Fours Head of the River marks the unofficial start of the head of the river season with many crews getting their first look at their competitors for the season to come. After a few months off, athletes from across the country will look to shake off the cobwebs and start their season off on the right foot with a win at Erne. The 6km course is a notoriously difficult stretch of river to navigate, so the coxswains will prove beneficial to the competitors in this event.
University College Dublin Boat Club – Senior
When looking at the entries for this event it is hard to ignore the calibre of athletes in this crew, all five of whom, including coxswain, Rhian Nelson, were a part of last season’s championship winning men’s senior eight. Last season saw the middle pair of Andrew O’Leary and Ross Mason gain international experience at the Under-23 European Rowing Championships, where they placed 4th in the men’s eight. O’Leary also raced this boat class internationally at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in 2022 and 2023, winning a bronze medal in 2023.
Commercial Boat Club – Intermediate
The entry from Dublin’s Commercial Boat Club comprises a few athletes who appear to be making the step up from club to intermediate level. The stern pair of Aaron Keogh and Sean Byrne enjoyed great success last year with their season culminating with a win in the men’s club eight at the National Championships. The bow pair consists of George O’Connor, who raced both the men’s club four and the men’s intermediate pair at last year’s championships, and Jack Deegan, who makes a return to the sport after taking a year’s hiatus from domestic racing.
University College Dublin Boat Club – Intermediate
Setting the rhythm from the stroke seat is David Ross-Chu who was part of UCD’s intermediate eight that won at last July’s championships. He will be backed up by Thomas Rice and Oisin Dolan who both raced in UCD’s second eight at last summer’s championships, which narrowly missed out on a spot in the final. UCDBC have dominated the Irish sweep scene for a number of years and these men will undoubtedly be looking to climb the ranks within the team, with a win at Erne Fours being a good place to start.
Prediction
I expect UCD’s senior coxed four to take the win in this event easily given the calibre of athletes in their boat, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw the UCD’s intermediate crew finishing behind in second place.
