By Brad Lewis
The perfect pair is no more as Hamish Bond and Eric Murray look ahead to Tokyo 2020 and a potential assault on the men's eight.
Eric Murray has told Newstalk ZB that Mahe Drysdale, Bond and himself are considering the move after dominating the respective disciplines for the best part of eight years.
A break from competition is likely for all three next-year with a 2018 return a high possibility.
"As far as finishing up goes, I don't think so," Murray said.
"We'll see how the break goes.
"We've done everything in the pair. After London we'd won any regatta that counted, and tried to do it again for Rio.
"(For Tokyo) we'd just be doing it again.
"We're motivated by challenges. The only thing left to do in New Zealand rowing is the eight. It's about asking whether we feel we could make it go well, or would it be better without us?
"It'd be different, and we wouldn't get the same flexibility as we've had in the pair."
The double Olympic champion hasn't completely shut the door on a pairs comeback if things don’t work out in the eight's boat.
"We might not make it go faster for the selectors," Murray said of their prospects.
"They might say 'you guys are not suited to it', then we might have to go back to the pair, so nothing is discounted as yet.
"At the moment we'll shelve it for a year, then make decisions. Hamish could find he has potential as a cyclist."
Murray suggested 2008 pair bronze medallist and 2009 Oxford boat race champion George Bridgewater, who is 33, might also be worth considering.
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