Rowing Tasmania development manager Rob Prescott said the Scotch Oakburn College boys and Launceston Church Grammar’s girls could both consider themselves favourites in the senior eights at Lake Barrington.

However, Prescott said both could expect stiff competition from Southern rivals in the annual battle for private school rowing supremacy.

‘‘With their performance over the last few regattas, Scotch boys would have to go in as favourites but I think it will be exceptionally close between them and Hutchins,’’ Prescott said.

‘‘They’ve both been training and racing well and it will be quite a mind game between coaches Will Muir at Hutchins and James Russell at Scotch in regards to preparations and tactics.’’

He said it was ‘‘disappointing’’ that Grammar had been unable to field a boys’ eight and predicted a bright future for the St Patrick’s College crew.

‘‘Under the new coaching regime of Justin McCullagh, they have ramped up their workload and are improving all the time and could be expected to battle it out with Friends for the minor placings.’’

Despite having won the girls’ race for the past five years, Prescott said Grammar was in a rebuilding phase and would be hard pushed by the Collegiate School crew which, rowing as Derwent Mercantile Collegiate, has dominated the club pennant season.

‘‘Grammar came out of nowhere at the state champs and beat them twice over the weekend but probably would not have expected to do as well as they did.

‘‘They should go in on equal terms with the girls from Collegiate and it should be a real ding-dong race.’’

Prescott said Scotch, coached by Rick Sargent, had been improving with each row and could also figure in proceedings while St Pat’s had a young crew in a rebuilding process, Friends won last year’s under-17 Australian championships and Fahan College was reaping the rewards of having Tamar’s former world champion Ali Foot assisting coach Paul Webberley.

After Saturday’s regatta, Lake Barrington will also host the next round of the schools program on Sunday and Monday plus the all-schools titles next weekend.

National senior and schools championships are also on the horizon in Sydney plus selection trials for Australian junior, under-21 and under-23 teams.