KEY POINTS:
The outcome of tomorrow's third race between the world's two best single scullers is irrelevant to solving the Olympic Games question.
The 2000 Olympic champion Rob Waddell has beaten current world champion Mahe Drysdale in their first two races, and even if he wins at Lake Karapiro tomorrow it will have no bearing on who gets the job in Beijing in August.
These races are pieces in the puzzle but the ultimate decider will come in March at the national trials. Before then, the pair will square off at the national championships, also at Lake Karapiro, but even if Waddell wins that title, Drysdale will remain in the hunt, providing he does the business at the trials.
And as opposed to the perception that these single-minded athletes will only settle for a single seat in Beijing, Rowing New Zealand are confident the loser will get a seat in another boat - providing they prove they will add value to that boat.
"The critical thing for both is they need to feel they've had their best shot at it," RNZ high performance boss Andrew Matheson said last night. "Single sculls is what they want, but assuming they get that good run through and are clearly beaten they'll look to try and take a seat in another boat."
Both have made it clear they want the single seat. Drysdale has indicated he'll push for another spot if he misses out on the single; Waddell, while stressing he had "tunnel vision" for the single seat, hasn't specifically ruled out aiming for another crew if Drysdale gets the single.
"The first thing is to make sure we have the fastest single sculler there," Matheson said. "The second thing is that [the beaten single sculler] has to prove his ability to push someone out of their seat."
New Zealand rowing is in rude health. Four men's crews have won places in the Olympics - single scull, double scull, coxless pair and coxless four.
The four - Carl Meyer, Eric Murray, Hamish Bond and James Dallinger - doubtless feel they've earned the right to prove last year's world title at Munich was not a one-off; coxless pair George Bridgewater and Nathan Twaddle were world champs in 2005 and took silver in each of the last two years; while double scullers Nathan Cohen and Matthew Trott qualified that boat at Munich with a solid performance.
National selectors, Conrad Robertson, Dick Tonks and Athol Earl, have a challenging time ahead. "It's a hard question for the selectors. Right across the board we've got a very talented group and how you shape that to get the best results is the critical thing," Matheson said.
"All the athletes are aware that their seat is not confirmed. They have to keep performing.
"The selectors have to make good structured decisions. This is what sports look for, to have an abundance of talent. It's a nice opportunity but it's going to take some careful work."
BATTLE FOR THE SINGLE SEAT
* Mahe Drysdale and Rob Waddell will clash for the third time at Lake Karapiro tomorrow. Waddell, 2000 Olympic champion, has won both earlier races against current and three-time world champion Drysdale, on December 16 and last Sunday.
* The national champs finals are at Lake Karapiro on February 23, when the pair will meet again. Victory is no guarantee of the trip to the Beijing Olympics in their preferred single seat.
* The national trials follow, also at Lake Karapiro, and will be the key to deciding who gets the single scull spot for Beijing in August. The Olympic squad will be named after the trials early in March.
