Rowing News: Over 200 athletes will take to the water this weekend to begin to stake claims for a place in the Ireland squads for the season ahead. The three regional time trials have numbers of boats in the 40s and the trials at O'Brien's Bridge on the Clare/Limerick border and Inniscarra in Cork on Sunday are likely to be of similar size.

Members of the team that competed at the World Championships are exempt from this early-season activity, but some of those who were knocking on the door last season have put their names down for action this weekend.

Helen Walshe, grounded by an injury early last season, is set to compete at the Leinster trial in Blessington tomorrow, as is Rory O'Connor, who also fell out of the reckoning after impressing the previous season.

Paul O'Brien, who at 18 is everybody's tip for glory in the years ahead, and Con Collis are also on the entry list for Blessington.

Collis, along with O'Brien and his colleagues in the under-23 heavyweight four, wore the Irish vest this season at world cups and all will travel with the Ireland squad to the warm-weather camp in Cyprus next month, as will Galway's Heather Boyle.

John Forde and Dave Mannion will compete at the Galway trial, and a long-time international, Derek Holland, is an interesting entry at the Ulster trial.

Karen Rentoul and Heather Armstrong throw hats into the ring after a stirring performance for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games this year.

Tomorrow also sees the staging of the Portadown Marascull.

The regional trials give athletes some indication of how near to the top level they are. Ireland team manager Mick O'Callaghan, who is organising the Inniscarra trial on Sunday, says he hopes senior members of clubs would use them to identify those clearly not ready for the national trials in March: "I hope they wouldn't put people forward if they were going to get well beaten."

The Corkman says he is concerned about structures at junior level and would like to see a full-time development coach working with juniors and under-23s.

The domestic calendar for the year ahead, published in its provisional form here two weeks ago, has been finalised and remains the same.