TOP TEN CLUBS FORM GUIDE FOR 2009 Whereis® AUSTRALIAN SURF LIFE SAVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
March 13: CAN any club beat Northcliffe in the 2009 Whereis® Australian Surf Life Saving Championships at Scarborough Beach in Perth next week?
It is not a new question, as the team in maroon and white has dominated the club pointscore for the past five seasons. And in that time they have been barely challenged for supremacy at the national titles. The only year their reign looked in any doubt was when they were forced to concede 100 points but they still finished more than 30 points ahead of their nearest challengers.
So could the title of the top club in Australia end up anywhere else in 2009? DAVID MOASE runs his eye over the form of the leading teams.
NORTHCLIFFE: Perth stargazers should pack away their telescopes next week and head down to Scarborough Beach because they will see a galaxy of surf talent on display and Northcliffe forms the brightest constellation. Shannon Eckstein, Zane Holmes, the Smith siblings - Nathan and Kristyl - and Pierce Leonard lead the all-star line-up but the club's real strength lies in its incredible depth and its powerhouse teams. There's Emma Rynne and Simon Harris on the sand, Nick Crilly, Tate Smith and Kelly Jury on skis, swimmers such as Brooke Fletcher, Eloise Van Gysen and Beau Cummins and emerging all-rounders like the Hancock sisters, Courtney and Bonnie. Seriously, there isn't enough room to list all their outstanding talent and defeating them remains a formidable hurdle for the other clubs.
MANLY: The sky blues emerged from the NSW championships as a team on the rise, producing their strongest performance in many years. Leader of the pack is undoubtedly Kellogg's Nutri-Grain series winner Naomi Flood, who grabbed a huge medal haul at the NSW championships. Flood will be a contender in Ironwoman, ski and swim while Jonathan Stock was a surprise Ironman winner at State. Murray Stewart confirmed he is the man to watch in the hotly contested ski races, sweeping the board the NSW championships in single, double, relay and mixed double, helped by Blake Ballard, Nick Dawe and another rising kayak star Jo Brigden-Jones. Manly also regularly performs well in champion lifesaver and patrol competitions, with Melinda Pelly hard to keep out of the medals.
KURRAWA: Came closer to Northcliffe than any other club at the Queensland championships and likely to perform well in the surf and on the sand next week. They have developed a very strong beach sprint squad, led by flags queen Melissa Howard, Chelsea Maples, Queensland sprint champion Aaron Stubbs and Kiwi Paul Cracroft-Wilson. Ironwoman Hayley Bateup will be looking to return to her never-say-die best after suffering a burst eardrum in the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain series and will have hugely improved Terri Sullivan alongside in individual and team events. Ben Allen, Kurt Tutt and Shannon Porche form the backbone of a powerhouse ski line-up that also includes Olympian David Smith. Juniors Briana Newson, Madison Boon and Benjamin Mispelhorn will ensure success in the age groups while Kurrawa will send seven boat crews to Perth under the guidance of champion sweep Marty Fletcher, with high hopes of striking gold.
BURLEIGH HEADS/MOWBRAY PARK: The big improvers of the 2008 Australian Championships will be hoping for further progress under the astute coaching of Wes Berg and Hugh Dougherty. They jumped from ninth place to second last year and led by the likes of sprinter Hayley Wyper and ski paddler and Olympic kayaker Jacob Clear they have mighty Northcliffe in their sights. Wyper won the open sprint and the under-19 flags at the Queensland championships and will be a leading contender in both events and in both age groups in Perth. The club's ski line-up, including Clear, Pat Norton and Dane Sloss, should give a good account of themselves in the face of very tough competition. BHMP also boasts plenty of talent in the age groups, including Thomas Rowles and Kristen Askew (under-19), Jessica Alder (under-17) and impressive Luke Cuff (under-15).
MOOLOOLABA: Strength at open and age group level will underpin the Sunshine Coast club's challenge in Perth. Led by its strong Ironman and Ironwoman contingent of Matt Poole, Dylan Newbiggin, Gemma Newbiggin and Jack Hansen they will be competitive throughout the carnival. Hansen showed the benefits of his debut Kellogg's Nutri-Grain season by winning the Queensland surf race and he, Newbiggin, Poole and Josh Minogue have every chance in the surf teams. Newbiggin and Cameron Cole will be hoping to repeat their upset win over the powerhouse Leonard/Eckstein combination in the board rescue. At under-19 level Alexander Tibbits is a competitor to watch, while in the under-17s Mooloolaba's boys dominated the Queensland championships, with the likes of Mitchell Miller, Nicklaas Gale, Nicholas Anderson and Jackson Doolan among the winners. At the other end of the age scale, veteran Ironman Dean Mercer will be looking to give his farewell to open competition a winning feel.
ALEXANDRA HEADLAND: A club that thrives on a production line of junior talent and strong teams. In recent years, ‘Alex' has been the leading force in the Champion Lifesaver events, with Michael White aiming for his third straight win in the Open division. Last year the club also won three champion lifesaver titles in the age divisions. Another area of team and technical success is in traditional March Past, which Alex won at the Queensland championships. The club hasn't won the national March Past title since 2003 but is set to challenge traditional powers South Port and Collaroy. In the surf, Emma McKenzie will be out to match her state gold medal when she contests the open women's belt race. Among a host of junior competitors, under-15 beach sprinter Rachel Crothers and consistent under-17 performer Ann Glen should lead the way.
CRONULLA: Without the services of Ironman star Nathan Smith, Cronulla has lost some of its firepower but was still strong enough to run Manly close at the NSW Championships. This is another club with strength in depth thanks to a goldmine of junior talent emerging every year from its nippers ranks. Australian representative Chris Allum led the way at the NSW Championships, finding plenty of success in the swim events. He will receive plenty of assistance from younger brother Hayden and another set of brothers, Mark and Dean Simpson, who edged out the Allum brothers in a family affair final of the NSW board rescue. Cronulla always seem to have strong beach sprinters and beach relay teams, with the star of the show Elly Graf, who will run for her third consecutive open beach sprint championship even though she still also competes in the under-19s.
TERRIGAL: The production line of talented juniors at Terrigal matches that anywhere in the country and allows the NSW Central Coast club to maintain its place among the top performers. Competitors such as Edward Gourley and Tim Schofield are among the surf stars of tomorrow and will give their rivals plenty to beat in the age groups at Scarborough. Australian board rescue champions Amanda White and Joanna Baxter won at the NSW Championships recently to show they're on track for the defence of their national title. White has 13 Australian gold medals in her possession and it wouldn't surprise to see her add at least one more this year, while Baxter is a youngster to watch closely, as are Amy Nurthen, Rachelle King, Matthew Eltham and Jack Moyes.
TRIGG ISLAND: Trigg edged out City of Perth to win the WA Championships and will be hoping that translates to success at the Aussies. Leading the way will be ski paddlers Reece Baker and Dan Humble, who dominated the state championships and know the local conditions better than most. Baker and Humble have a talented group of paddlers nipping at their keels with under-19s Brendon Rice and Todd Brewer improving all the time. Throw in Olympian Travis Nederpelt and his brother Jarrod and they will be competitive in the swimming arena. Much of Trigg's pointscore success at the WA titles was down to its teams in the R&R competition and a series of winners in the Champion Lifesaver events, where the likes of Trent Stapleton and Hayley McKee will be keen to take on eastern states rivals at the Aussies.
CITY OF PERTH: Led by Australian Ironwoman champion, Alicia Marriott, City has a powerful line-up with which to farewell the championships in the West. Marriott, heading for Queensland next season, will be out to leave WA with winning memories and will be right in the mix in swim, board and the Ironwoman. She has extra back-up this year with the likes of high-profile Candice Falzon, now based in the west and bringing her skills to board and swim events, the competitive Lara Taylor, ski paddler and Olympic bronze medallist Lisa Russ and the emerging young stars Shinade and Jade Whitehead. The swim ranks are strong, led by James Cohen, Simon Huitenga and under-19 David Graham, while Nutri-Grain series competitor Andrew Mosel adds his all-round skills to the mix.
For live results throughout the Whereis® 2009 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships
http://www.aussies.slsa.asn.au/2009/
Photographs: http://www.harvpix.com/