2009 Australian Youth Cup - Wrap Up

Monday, July 13, 2009

Rowing NSW Media Release

Queensland wins the 2009 Youth Cup

With the third and final day of competition completed, Queensland has emerged to win the Rusty Robertson Cup, credited as the best Under-21 rowing state in Australia.

The Australian Youth Cup is a much-anticipated fixture on the elite rowing calendar, and in 2009 featured some of the most exciting junior rowing talent from around Australia. The Cup is run as a team event, with squads from every Australian State and territory (except the Northern Territory), as well as a team from New Zealand, competing for the Rusty Robertson Youth Cup.

Queensland firmed as favourites to win the Cup (for overall pointscore) by the end of the second day’s racing. With their men’s eight winning the silver medal on Day Three (behind the strong Western Australian crew) – it was official: Queensland had captured the Youth Cup.

The 2009 victory is the first time an Australian crew has won the regatta in five years. The New Zealand team have regularly claimed the trophy since 2005. The Queensland team’s depth and consistency, however, helped ensure the Cup would stay in Australia for at least another 12 months.

The third and final day of competition (Sunday) was set aside for the Coxed Eights competition. Leading up to the Eights races, the rowers in each team had completed a gruelling racing schedule. Competing in both small and large boats, rowers would race up to 2 or 3 times a day over the 2-kilometre Olympic course at the Sydney International Regatta Centre.

The Eights races would determine the final standings in the overall pointscore. Western Australia won the men’s eight, ahead of Queensland and New Zealand. In the Women’s Eight South Australian ensured they finished the regatta with a flourish, winning the gold medal ahead of Queensland and Western Australia.

Despite finishing in fifth place, the NSW team was happy with their crews’ performances. In particular, The NSW Men’s coxless four won the silver medal, finishing just 2.55 seconds behind the Victorian crew. Coached by Glenn Bates and Mark Prater, the NSW crew (consisting of Alex Sutton, Jason Waddell, Matthew Dignan, and Tim Harley) were excited to have medalled at the elite regatta.

Matthew Dignan, 19, whose father Peter won a rowing bronze medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympic games, had strong hopes for a medal leading into the final. ‘Victoria won our heat, but we were surprised to beat New Zealand’ he said. ‘Our heat time was about ten seconds quicker than the other qualifying heat, so we were really confident going into the final.’

Tim Harley, 19, from the Sydney Rowing Club, thought the crew performed much better in the final than in the heats. ‘We usually come out in the middle of the back, because we flatline it through the whole race’ he said. ‘But in this final, we came out and we were in second. And from there we just pushed pretty evenly throughout the race- gaining a metre here, a metre there. It was pretty gradual, there was no giant push.’

Many of the Youth Cup rowers will now prepare to head back to school or university. With the summer rowing season looming, spectators will not have long to wait to see elite junior rowers back on the water.

From left to right: Tim Harley (Sydney Rowing Club), Matthew Dignan (Sydney Rowing Club), Alex Sutton (Nepean Rowing Club) and Jason Waddell (Nepean Rowing Club)

For more information, please contact Rowing NSW Communications Advisor Emma Schiller at esch7116@uni.sydney.edu.au
or on 0419 161 740

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