Mosman Rowing Club takes pride in our high standard of coaching. To achieve this we have employed many reputable coaches including the following:

Tony Blay Recreational Coach

Tom Laurich Development Coach

Linda Read Junior Coach

Gonzalo Briones Development Coach

Nick Garratt - Head Coach,

Email: headcoach [at] mosmanrowing.com; Phone: 0411 768 700

Nationality: Australian (WA)

MRC is fortunate to secure the services of one of Australia’s most experienced rowing coaches. Taking over from Bruce Evans, Nick commenced working his magic on a development squad of young men and women, and attracting other top young talent from around the country and internationally. Nick has been coaching at a State, national and International level since 1988, and started placing rowers into international World Cups from 1991. From Head Coach at Haberfield [now UTS) 1988- 92, to Talent ID Coach at the WA Institute of Sport to 1995, to WA team coach to 2001 bringing unprecedented success for WA at all levels including first Australian Under 23 Eight, Junior Quad, Junior single scull, Junior women’s single scull, to name a few In addition to his WA duties, Nick commenced coaching national crews from 1995, two national crews in 1996, both gained gold medals in the World Championships at Strathclyde, three national crews in 1997, including our own Peter Hardcastle (PH) in the Under 23 Quad in Milan, three national crews in 1998 plus also becoming Senior Coach of the WA Institute of Sport, this time taking the Under 23 Men’s Quad (including PH) to Gold in loannina, Greece - (first ever in this event for Australia), and in 1999 secured WA’s first win in the Kings Cup Men’s Eight in 26 years. He also took the men’s quad, now senior to a Bronze medal in St Catherine’s, Canada - Australia’s first ever men’s quad scull medal at World Championships. In 2000 he had 5 athletes selected into the national team and 2 into the Olympics, and again coached the national men’s quad to 4th place in the Sydney Olympics

From his first year in WA in 1992, Nick placed 3 athletes in the national junior, Under 23 or senior teams, rising every year until he departed in 2001 with 20 athletes.

In 2001 Nick took up the position of senior coach at the NSW Institute of Sport and included coaching three national crews with success at Henley and World Championships. In 2002 he started coaching out of the Mosman Pearl Bay shed, as a tenant of MRC and coached Tom Laurich and Robert Jahrling to a Bronze medal in the World Championships in Seville (Australia’s men’s only medal at for 2002). In 2003 Nick had a further 2 national crews with Silver medal men’s double scull World Cup, Lucerne, Peter Hardcastle, David Crawshay By 2004 Nick had 3 athletes selected in the Olympic team. Of the 45 athletes in the 2004 Australian Olympic Rowing Team, Nick has personally coached 25 of them. We are now rated as one of the top training centres in NSW and Australia, albeit without the funding, resources and facilities to justify this.

This is thanks, in no small part, to Nick Garratt.

Tony Blay - Recreational Coach,

Email: tonyblay [at] mosmanrowing.com;

Recreational Email: recreational [at] mosmanrowing.com; Phone: 0438 397 674

Nationality: English

I rowed up through the grades at Christchurch Rowing Club on the River Stour in Dorset England. In 1969 I cobbled together 10 quid and emigrated to New Zealand, joining Wellington R.C. Quickly deducing I had arrived in the land of the giants my interest turned to coaching. The move to Sydney occurred in 1981. On presenting myself at MRC around 1983 the Head Coach (M. Morgan) sent me on a run up the stairs. Ten years later I tried again and a more conciliatory (G.D.R. Jones) President suggested accreditation might be in order, and did I have any contacts in the UK as MRC were about to go to Henley. Persistence prevails when all else fails or so they tell me . . .still there scratching about with the odd small triumph every now and again. Tony Blay has become a key part of Mosman Rowing Club, with his thriving recreational rowing program and wealth of knowledge. He has a keen eye for technique, and great organisational and people skills. Tony is a coach that we can truly call one of our own!

Tom Laurich - Development Coach,

Nationality: Kiwi

Having been recently sent from New Zealand to attempt to raise the IQ’s on both sides of the Tasman, Simon has already firmly established his ability to create the largest boatwash from the coachboats at the club. Apart from providing ballast, Simon is passionate about rowing, and happy to coach any club members who feel in need of some fine-turning. Currently Simon is looking after the Mosman Rowing Club Development Program.

Linda Read - Junior Coach,

Email: Recreational [at] mosmanrowing.com Phone: 0429337933

Nationality: Aussie

For the past 3 years Linda has coached recreational crews and for the past two years has run a learn to Row programme for kids over the school holidays. Several of the learn to row kids continued to row, joining a small group of school aged club rowers Tony Blay had coached to competition level. Mosman Rowzone Juniors was launched when a group of 12 rowers attended the Central Districts rowing regattas in Taree in March 2007. Coached by Linda the junior squad reformed for the 2007/8 season and a group of 16 young rowers competed successfully throughout the season at club regattas. State Championship results were: WU16 4x State Champions; WU16 2x 3rd place & WU19 4x 4th place.

Tom Laurich - Elite Development Coach,

Email: Tom
Tom Laurich

Nationality: Australian

Tom Laurich joined Mosman’s coaching team just a month after competing in the Beijing Olympics in the Aussie VIII. Tom was also a member of the VIII in 2006 and 2007. In 2004 Tom was in the coxless 4 in Athens, which finished a nailbiting 4th place, a fraction out of the medals in Steve Redgrave’s last race. Prior to that Tom was rowed in the coxed pair that won the Australian men’s team their only medal in the Seville World Championships in 2003, having taken some very big scalps in trials in Australia.Tom has been a medallist in the single scull at World Junior championships, a member of the Senior quad scull at the 2001 World championships, the Sydney Olympics single scull trialist, and national double scull champion with Mosman’s Peter Hardcastle. We welcome Tom’s expertise and enthusiasm to the club.

Gonzalo Briones - Development Coach,

Email: Gonzalo Phone: 0402168789

Nationality: Spaniard

Gonzalo started coaching at Queenwood last season, coaching the senior squad down in Mosman RC and after the school season finished he has been the coach of the High Performance Development Program for Girls at Mosman RC. Gonzalo has coached many Spanish National crews at World Championships in all categories. He is married to Zita- former World lightweight Champion.