It’s a long season with plenty of prestigious races, but for the elite, it all rests on the Australian titles.

And for Redhead, it was perhaps their best yet, with a ninth place finish on the overall standings at the Australian titles, and a historic silver medal in the men’s taplin relay.

The club’s leading board paddler, Stewart McLachlan, further etched his name into history by recording his third consecutive national board title – one of only two athletes in the sport’s 100 years to do so.

At an open level, the duopoly of Redhead and Swansea-Belmont shows no signs of slowing, but the emergence of other Hunter clubs on the national stage is a positive  for the area.

Cooks Hill and Caves Beach both recorded gold medals in separate events at the Aussies Youth titles, through Ethan Coates and Lawson Christiansen respectively.

Combined with strong performances by athletes from Catherine Hill Bay and Merewether, amongst other clubs, the region’s talent pool looks bright.

While winter presents a chance to rest, it won’t be long before the road to the Australian titles starts once again.