The Yarra is one of the great rowing courses of the world, winding and narrow in places, always making for exciting racing. While the Melbourne Head Race may be less than half the length and in the opposite direction from the Head of the Yarra in a week, this race will be no less exciting and intense. This race will set the tone for the remainder of the schoolgirl season, as the athletes transition from a hard preseason to the summer racing season, culminating with the Head of the Schoolgirls and Victorian Championships in March.
Total Entries – 16
St Catherine’s School, Toorak
St Catherine’s is riding a wave of performance, following their remarkable 2022 season, which ended with victory in the Prince Phillip Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. This year has seen a return to this form, with wins in the Head of the Schoolgirls and Victorian Championships, although fell short of third place at the nationals. At the state championships, they also finished second in the Under-21 Eight. This year’s crew contains four returning members from last season, so it is a crew that knows what it takes to win, and they will want to make a mark on this season. Additionally, they also won last year’s edition of this race, so they will be seeking to defend their title.
Melbourne Girls Grammar School (MGGS)
MGGS has had a strong past few seasons, finishing second in the past five Head of the Schoolgirls, in addition to second at both state and national levels, notably overturning the result from the schoolgirls’ event, beating out St Catherine’s. This year’s crew is new, mainly in comparison to last season’s; however, it still contains the Perrett sisters, Grace and Imogen, in addition to a newcomer to the top boat, Emily Rasmussen, who formed part of this year’s Victorian Schools Pathway eight.
Geelong Grammar School
Geelong Grammar has always been one of the powerhouses of schoolgirl rowing in Victoria, and this past season has been much the same. Like MGGS, they spent much of the 2025 season nipping at the heels of St Catherine’s, finishing third in the schoolgirls’ state championships and in the Under 21 eights. At nationals, while they may have faded to seventh in the schoolgirls eight, they thrilled in a very tight race to take out the U19 eight. This year’s crew features three returnees.
Conclusion and Prediction
Given how early it is in the season, the difficulty and nuances of head racing, and the very nature of the school’s competition, it is very hard to predict how any crew will perform. While these three schools are coming off a strong 2025 season, there are still many other strong contenders, such as Firbank Grammar School, which won the schoolgirls eight at the Australian Henley Royal Regatta Royal Regatta over Geelong Grammar or Loreto Toorak, who finished second last year and finished just off the podium at schoolgirls. However, coming off the strength of the 2025 season, I still see St Catherine’s prevailing. Although with the national U19 eight under their belts, I think Geelong Grammar School will finish second, ahead of MGGS.
First – St Catherine’s School, Toorak
Second – Geelong Grammar School
Third – Melbourne Girls Grammar School
