NEPTUNE are likely to face title chasers Trinity today having again reshuffled their senior eight in the aftermath of their last meeting, when an early, quarter of a length lead was reversed within 20 strokes.
The search for the right power combination has taken on a resemblance to musical chairs. Gary O'Neill returns behind Colm O'Rourke, who is reinstated as stroke, Jim Cassidy finds a seat free at number six land Frank Sheridan has been left standing on the slip.
With Henley and the Championships in mind, coach Peter Buckley is approaching today's Trinity Regatta as a chance to gauge his crew's progression. "We really haven't been doing any thing special for this one. Trinity will be the favourites and we're just going to be trying different combinations, because we obviously weren't fast enough last time," he said.
By contrast, Trinity field their regular eight and have spent the last week practising starts something Neptune have had the better of so far in preparation for a course that is often won or lost by the second bend. The course (seen by some coaches as unfair), exams and the concentration of four large provincial regattas in as many weeks have depleted entries for the former three day Trinity Regatta almost down to its Islandbridge core.
UCD revert to their true Senior III eight which raced at Neptune and lost by a length to today's first round opponents. The Defence Forces, who have themselves shown some recent inconsistency, may be spurred by the prospect of meeting Garda and reversing last weekend's defeat at St Michael's. Both of the services are certain to race in some form their eights will double up against each other in ISA `A' and `B' fours.
In the only Senior I heat, a still out of sorts UCD four start as second favourites to Neptune. Already in the semi final, UCD's other out of sorts four face an exBritish lightweight, a former Cambridge blue and a past winner of the Henley diamond sculls from London based Tideway Scullers.
The overseas presence also includes City of Oxford. Their women's four races out of status with Trinity in the Senior Is, and in the women's eights they have to beat Neptune to make the final against a mixed junior/senior boat from Commercial.
Neptune and Trinity women are mid way through a four week window they have to narrow the gap between themselves and the absent UCDL, who this weekend are away at the B International Regatta in Ghent.
The journey to Belgium should certainly sharpen UCDL's edge. The senior eight, stroked by Becky Quinn, shows one personnel change from two weeks ago, with Eithne Tiernan making way for Audrey Phelan at bow and Oonagh Clarke coming in at number five.
Against them are a Tideway Scullers eight that beat them by three lengths at the Home Internationals last year, and a Thames crew, eight seconds off UCDL's pace at the Women's Henley Regatta.
"We haven't a clue who else we are against and you can't the standard. Some years are better than others but the eight has been going really well and it's our strongest boat," said UCDL capstain Oonagh Clarke, who also, rows in the experimental quad" with Quinn, Phelan and Sarah Honner.
Debbie Stack and Vanessa Lawrenson also double up in the pair, and although at times they, have missed the calming influence of a coach, they now race Tideway, Thames and Upper Thames crews to decide whether they qualify for international duty later this year.
UCDL have been accompanied on their travels by a mixed Commercial squad and Mark Butler, Donal McGuinness, Denis Crowley and Fran O'Toole will need all of their experience against what are essentially British squad heavyweights in the Leander, Moseley and Kingston coxless fours.
Commercial's juniors Connlan Edwards, Owen Byrne, David Cummins and David Ashley make a claim with Clonmel's Emile Quinn for the Coupe de la Jeunesse squad by racing J18 sculls and a double with Offaly's Sheila Clavin competing in the junior women's scull.
