In the legal world, the scales of justice represent impartiality and the obligation to weigh evidence.
For Eliza Gaffney and Nick Smith, recently selected members of the 2025 Australian Rowing Team, those same scales also reflect something more personal: their pursuit of excellence and the delicate equilibrium between studying law and competing in high performance rowing.
Both Eliza and Nick began their rowing journeys in Year 9, with humble beginnings in the third Quad for Eliza and the F crew for Nick.
“I’m one of the least athletically gifted people I’ve ever met,” Nick said.
Yet from the start, rowing spoke to them.
It sparked their curiosity and drive to master. While many of their peers gave up when rowing was no longer considered 'cool', they stayed and slowly climbed the selection ladder.
“If you enjoy it,” Nick’s mum once told him. “Who cares what other people think?”
In the classroom, Eliza excelled in both humanities and sciences, completing a degree in Biomedicine by the age of 20. But on reflection, it was the language and philosophy electives where she truly thrived.
“I get more out of subjects when I find them interesting,” Eliza said.
The ever-evolving challenge of law, with its demand for open-minded thinking, drew her into postgraduate study, a Doctor of Law at the University of Melbourne.
Nick’s path echoes a similar theme: insatiable curiosity and a drive to make a difference.
Law wasn’t his first degree choice but after a year at university, he leaned into his strengths, interpersonal skills and a deep value of enjoyment. He then transferred into a Bachelor of Laws at Deakin University.
Now with one year to go, he calls it “the world’s greatest university degree”.
Mentorship has been key for both.
Eliza has received both the John Hall and Peter Jopling scholarships at the University of Melbourne, awarded in recognition of her excellence in sport and academics.
Beyond financial support, both Richard Hall and Peter Jopling AM KC have been a guiding presence for Eliza.
Nick, meanwhile, was introduced to the courtroom by University of Melbourne master’s rower, James Peters AM KC. He was hooked from the start.
“Being a barrister felt just like rowing, intensely competitive,” Nick said.
Like rowing, it seemed to him that you get out what you put in.
They both trace their ambition for excellence back to Year 9 rowing, when something lit a spark. Today, they see law and rowing as complementary.
Both demand showing up when no one’s watching. For every stroke in a race, there are 10,000 in training. “There’s no silver bullet,” Nick said. “I turn up. I apply myself. I enjoy it. I own it. That’s the difference.”
Eliza agrees: “Law teaches you to keep your mind open. Rowing teaches you to stay in the moment.”
On the juggle of rowing and study Eliza notes: “You have to be kind to yourself. You won’t be perfect at everything. But if you care about it, you’ll find a way.”
Nick likes a strategy. “I write my list. If it says go to the library, I go to the library. Tick. Tick. Tick.”
For both, the scale is never perfectly even. But it’s steadied by something strong: a genuine enjoyment of the challenge.
Neither Eliza nor Nick claims to be the most physiologically gifted, or to dominate the erg. But both believe rowing rewards effort.
“I don’t pull the hardest,” Eliza said. “But I know my role, facilitating others to be their best.”
Nick recalls telling a school counsellor about his rowing dream. “Recreational?” she asked. “Olympics,” he replied. Now he’s on the way.
Now, they stand on the cusp of the 2025 World Cup series, chasing an Olympic dream, and showing that balance doesn’t mean perfection.
It means persistence. It means owning every choice. Because when the scales tilt under pressure, it’s the joy in the struggle that keeps them steady.