With the disappointing Paris Olympics campaign behind them, Australia's elite rowers will ramp up preparations for the Los Angeles Games at the national championships in Tasmania.
Spots to compete in the national selection regatta are on the line at Lake Barrington, with the country's best among more than 2000 rowers entered in the week-long event, which starts Monday.
Two-time Olympian Angus Dawson was part of the Paris sojourn, which was the team's worst performance since 1988 with a medal yield of just one bronze.
But the 25-year-old said changes made to the program following a post-Games review had started to have a positive impact.
Former national head coach Chris O'Brien was last year appointed to lead the men's program which is based in Canberra.
"It was a big review after Paris and the disappointing results on our end, but I think they've done a good sweep from then," Dawson told AAP.
"COB (O'Brien) has had so much experience in the past as well that I think just sort of getting a fresh set of eyes on it, and then also with a pretty big turnover in athletes, it's definitely freshened the place up a bit and given us a bit of a clean slate."
Dawson was in the coxed men's eight in both Tokyo and Paris, where they finished last in the final, and was also part of the unbeaten varsity eight at the University of California, Berkeley, where he had a rowing scholarship.
While he will be part of the South Australian eight in the prestigious Kings Cup, which wraps up the regatta, Dawson has also had World Cup success in the men's pair.
He will link with dual Olympic medallist Alex Hill in that event in Tasmania with the duo looking to emulate their recent ACT championship victory, with a possible eye on the world championships in Amsterdam in August.
Hill, 33, was part of the coxless four crew that won silver in Rio and gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
Both members of the Adelaide rowing club, the duo have tasted success before at Lake Barrington, south of Devonport.
"We've just been enjoying rowing together with good mates, so having fun there and we've got nationals and obviously trials in sort of a month's time, so you never really know from there," Dawson said.
"Last time we actually rowed together properly was around this time five years ago, which we were in Barrington as well and we actually won so we're going back for a repeat if we can."
