Cover image by Mark Kelly (thewateredge)
The men’s club eight always proves to be an interesting event, with crews usually containing an eclectic mix of experienced and novice rowers to meet the point quota. With six boats entering and thus no heats required, crews will only have to race down the 2km course once, inevitably providing us with some very fast racing. This event and the men’s senior, intermediate and novice eights decide which club takes home the Wylie Cup, the trophy awarded to the club with the best-performing eights.
University College Dublin Boat Club (UCDBC)
With three crews entered, University College Dublin make up half the entries in this event, showing the undeniable depth of their men’s squad. Last season saw UCD take the win in this event at the National Championships, so they will want to retake victory this weekend at the University Championships
University of Galway Boat Club (UGBC)
A relatively young crew from the University of Galway will be taking to the waters of the National Rowing Centre this weekend, with five athletes having just completed their junior careers. The men’s squad of UGBC kicked their 2025 season off with a bang, with two of their eights finishing in the top four at Erne Head of the River last month, showing the calibre of athletes that UGBC are producing.
University College Cork Rowing Club (UCCRC)
After finishing second place in this boat class at last July’s national championships, University College Cork will look to do one better in Inniscarra this Friday. Conor Power is the only athlete who remains from last season’s lineup, with seven new crewmates to back him up. Will UCC find the speed to turn their silver into gold?
Predictions
As always, I think it would be unwise to bet against UCD, especially when they have three boats competing in this event. However, UGBC’s young crew could throw a spanner in the works for one or all of the UCD crews.
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