Early defeat will light fire in 21-time Head of River champions TSS

An early taste of defeat in the GPS rowing season will light a hunger in the boat of perennial favourites The Southport School going forward.

The Southport School pictured during the Schoolboys Open Eight Div 1 at the 97th annual Head of the River GPS Rowing Championships regatta at Wyaralong Dam, Brisbane, 16th of March 2019. (AAP Image/Josh Woning)

An early taste of defeat in the GPS rowing season will light a hunger in the boat of perennial favourites The Southport School going forward.

The TSS First VIII finished second in the opening race of the season to a Brisbane Grammar boat that travelled to Wyaralong Dam with plenty of buzz built racing on the Brisbane River.

TSS director of rowing Daniel Trollope said watching Brisbane Grammar pull clear was a shock for the crew that would hold them in good stead going forward.

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“That’s a good thing to have because you know there’s work to do,” Trollope said.

“I think they now have an understanding of what other schools in Brisbane are doing and (that) they’ve got some boat speed.

“It’s nice to win each week leading in but coming second or third is no shame either because you know what it takes to get that extra position or steal it from someone.

“We’ve had a look at each other and we know what the opposition is like.

“It’s back to the drawing board to tweak the training plans to find that extra speed come Head of the River.”

There will be no over-reaction from the 21-time Head of the River champions because they know well how rival schools disguise their true strength at the season’s start.

There are five Regattas between now and the season decider to demonstrate improvement as TSS work towards securing their 22nd title.