Rowing: Confidence growing in reshuffled men's four

Carl Meyer

Remember who won New Zealand's gold medals at last year's world rowing championships?

Put it this way, four of the five crews in finals left Gifu in Japan with a gold medallion in their luggage.

But who missed out? The men's coxless four, and they hope to rectify that lack of metal when the business end arrives at next week's worlds in Eton, England.

While single sculler Mahe Drysdale, double scullers Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell and coxless pairs Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater and Juliette Haigh and Nicky Coles pulled off the stunning four golds in 45 minutes, the quartet of Donald Leach, Carl Meyer, Eric Murray and Steven Cottle finished sixth in their final.

In the Athens Olympics final of 2004, they were fifth, with Drysdale in place of Cottle. This time there's a rejigging of personnel.

Murray and Meyer are still there, but now they are joined by newcomers Selwyn Cleland, a 1.96m 25-year-old from Waikato, and 20-year-old Hamish Bond, who has already done time in the junior and under-23 national squads.

Murray, 24, is in his sixth year in the national squad; Meyer, a year younger, is in his fourth year.

Meyer reckons some of that golden spirit is rubbing off. There is a fresh element within the four and - after a bronze at the World Cup regatta in Poland, then fifth in a tougher final in the Lucerne cup regatta - an extra measure of confidence.

"Lucerne is generally the best marker before the worlds," Meyer said yesterday. "Most international crews turn up so it's fair racing and a good course. It's a good indication of how things are going.

"We've had five weeks since then to make some changes and get more speed, so we're pretty confident we can be up there."

Those changes include swapping positions in the boat. When they touch the water for their heat in Eton early on Monday (NZT), Murray will be in the stroke seat, Cleland at No 3, Meyer No 2 and Bond in the bow.

"The coach [Chris Nilsson] has seen what works best. Different personalities suit different seats. He's pretty happy with the combination now," Meyer said.

As with most of the crews, they've had illness problems during the European campaign, so reserve Matthew Trott has had more boat time than he might have expected.

Meyer said that on his previous trips to world championships, and in Athens, the overriding ambition had been to make the final.

"This year, we've had a little bit of a change of focus. Now we're at a level where you cannot be certain of making the final, but you're more confident about it. Then you look at it from there onwards, rather than that being the main goal."

If it gnaws away that he was part of the one crew to miss a medal in Japan, Meyer hides it. But he sees no reason why the four cannot take something home in their backpack this time.

"I used to flat with George and I'd see daily what he does and what I do. I think if he can do it why can't I?"

The coxless four are the last of six New Zealand crews in action tomorrow night. Lightweight single sculler Duncan Grant is in a field of 24 and his heats begin at 9.06pm tomorrow.

Then follow Drysdale, Haigh and Coles, Twaddle and Bridgewater, the Evers-Swindells and the coxless four. The women's eight, among 12 entries, are off on Monday night at 10.54 and the coxed four, with only six entries, have a straight race on Wednesday to sort out lanes for the final next weekend.