The men's single sculls final will be well contested at the National Rowing Championships on Lake Ruataniwha on Saturday.
Robbie Manson recorded the fastest time in the semi-finals, just 2/10ths of a second ahead of fellow Olympian Nathan Cohen.
Defending champion Mahe Drysdale will watch the final as he continues his six-month sabbatical.
Drysdale says it'll be a tight race - Manson has the fitness and Cohen the experience. He's picking Cohen to win by a whisker.
Cohen was a part of the Southern Performance Centre crew that won the premier quadruple sculls on Thursday.
Hawkes Bay won the Men's Club Eight, while North Shore were leading the women's club eight with 100 metres to go before catching a crab and dropping to fourth. Timaru won.
