KEY POINTS:
The anger Mahe Drysdale took into last year's national rowing trials will be replaced by wariness as he steels for another showdown with Rob Waddell.
The New Zealand team to contest World Cup regattas and August's world champioships will be named on Friday, preceded by five days of tests and racing on Lake Karapiro.
As was the case when the Olympic team was decided last year, the men's single sculls berth grabs virtually all the attention.
Beijing bronze medallist and three-time world champion Drysdale beat off 2000 Olympic champion Waddell last year, winning a hyped three-race series 2-1 when Waddell was struck down by his heart condition in the final race.
The national selectors have yet to announce whether to use the same format.
Either way, Drysdale knows he is in for a challenging week.
He was a dominant winner by more than five seconds in last Saturday's national championships final on Lake Ruataniwha but pointed out Waddell was just as emphatic at the nationals a year ago.
"I had a good race last week, obviously, but if Rob didn't have such a good one then it's not hard to turn it around in a week," Drysdale told NZPA.
"I'm certainly not going in thinking I've won it already. "It's just a matter of trying to keep up that form of last week. If I race like I did then I should be all right."
Drysdale was furious last year when the trial duel with Waddell was sprung on him late, disrupting his buildup for Beijing by forcing him to peak at an awkward time.
There was no such problem this year as it is four years until the London Olympics and boat positions had to be earned.
"Last year I felt like I was ambushed about six weeks out from the trials," he said.
"I was told one thing and then something else happened . I had been working on a four-year plan and I felt like I was derailed at the last minute.
"This is the start of a cycle and if Rob's around for four years then we'll go head-to-head when the selectors tell us to and I've got no problem with that."
All rowers will undergo ergometer trials on Sunday, an area where Waddell is traditionally a powerhouse, before hitting the water on Sunday.
Drysdale was unconcerned the trial format had yet to be unveiled.
"I'm expecting a similar thing to last year. We'll see what happens after the ergs and what the selectors come up with."
If he misses singles selection, 30-year-old Drysdale is yet to decide whether to commit to another boat - as Waddell did in the Olympic double sculls with Nathan Cohen - or be unavailable this year.
Either way, he suspects this won't be the last time he and Waddell duel before London 2012.
"It's the same as last year and I suspect it will be the case every year.
"We both want the spot, there's one available, so the selectors have to make a choice on who is the best person."
Meanwhile, Drysdale said he was "pleasantly surprised" by the form of young rowers at the national championships.
Despite several departures or retirements since Beijing, Drysdale believed New Zealand could field the same number of crews at the world championships at Poznan, Poland.
"I thought we were going to be scratching the barrel for a few crews but, depending on how well they back up in trials, it's pretty positive," he said.
"I wouldn't expect the success that we had at the world champs in Gifu post-Olympics (2005) because we are rebuilding.
"A lot of them will be competitive but it may be a couple of years until they're out there winning.
"We've still got four years and that's enough time for these guys to be medal contenders."
- NZPA
