The Championship Tour’s return to Bells saw the iconic break dish up day after day of perfect, rolling right handers, with Filipe Toledo and Tyler Wright running out victorious at the conclusion of the event. The powerful, long period waves are set to continue over the next week as we head to Margaret River, a location where the raw energy of the Indian Ocean meets the Western Australian coastline and produces some of the best waves in the country. And with the inaugural mid-season cut set to take place at the conclusion of this event – a cut which will see just 22 men and 10 women left on the Tour for the back half of the season – there won’t be a single athlete paddling out without something significant to surf for. These are the surfers to look out for on the men’s side of the draw.
The Favourites
John John Florence continued his solid start to the season at Bells, but despite making three quarterfinals in four events so far this year he’s still yet to make it through to a final. He was surfing as well as anyone in the early stages of the Rip Curl Pro, but a rampaging Filipe Toledo stopped him in his tracks and resigned him to another earlier exit than he would have liked. If ever he’s going to buck that trend and break through, however, it’s at Margaret River, particularly if the big swell which is forecast to arrive over the weekend combines with favourable winds. Florence missed this event last year, but he was the winner here two of the previous three times it was run and also notched up a second place finish in 2015. The raw power of Western Australia suits John John to a tee, and will give him a great chance to break through for his first win of the season and close the gap on the yellow jersey wearer in the process.
That yellow jersey wearer is Filipe Toledo, who is coming off a barnstorming performance at Bells which followed on from a runner-up finish in Portugal. He has raced away from the chasing pack in the world rankings, is the in-form surfer in the world and also enters this event as the defending champion. It sounds like a recipe for success, though it is worth noting that at both Bells and Supertubos, conditions faded in the latter stages of the event, and given Toledo is as good as anyone at creating something out of nothing on smaller waves, this suited him to a tee. A heaving Margaret River is a whole different story and certainly suits John John better than the speedy Brazilian, although last year the waves here were very solid and he surfed them beautifully. If conditions are reasonably tame then Toledo is the man to beat, but regardless of the size he will be a significant threat at the event.
After a slow start to the season in Hawaii, Toledo’s compatriot Italo Ferreira is beginning to find his feet, and if not for an unlucky loss to Jack Robinson in the quarterfinals at Bells could easily find himself well and truly inside the top five in the world rankings. He’s now notched up a third and a fifth place finish in the last two events to work himself within reach of everyone bar Toledo, and will be eager to continue that form at Margaret River. Historically this hasn’t been the happiest of hunting grounds for the powerful goofy footer; in five attempts he’s only made it past the quarterfinals once and has never made the final two, but there’s no particular reason to suggest that trend will continue here. He is more than capable in heavier conditions and is beginning to find something nearing his best form, so expect him to be a tough out at this contest.
The Next Tier
Jack Robinson first entered the surfing public’s collective consciousness as a prodigiously talented grom from Margaret River, and first surfed here on the Championship Tour as an 18-year-old wildcard. He’d go on to compete at the Margaret River Pro another three times before he became a regular on the Tour, improving his results each time and pulling off a number of moments which hinted at his ability, particularly at his home break. Last year was his first time surfing here as a regular on Tour and he disappointed with a 17th place finish, but fast forward one year and he is in the process of establishing himself as one of the best surfers in the world, regardless of the break. He finished third at Bells, his best result of the season, and will head back home with high expectations – expectations which he is more than capable of living up to.
Kanoa Igarashi’s year by year improvement has continued in 2022 and he paddled out at Bells in the yellow jersey. Unfortunately, the consistent form which saw him make the quarterfinals in the first three events of the season came to an end when Mick Fanning, much to the delight of the crowd, triumphed against him in the Round of 32. As Igarashi said in the wake of the loss, however, though Fanning was technically a wildcard, he’s also a four-time winner at the Rip Curl Pro, and a loss to him there is hardly a blight on Kanoa’s season. He will be eager to bounce back to his consistent best, although he has historically struggled at Margaret River, failing to make the quarterfinals in five appearances. That doesn’t bode particularly well, but he is as good a surfer as he has ever been right now and certainly has the ability to break through for his first successful result at the location.
Another man who will be eager to make amends for an early exit at Bells Beach is Jordy Smith, who, though past his best, is still capable of doing some damage at this contest. Smith has struggled this year, and in recent years, to advance deep into events, but Margaret River has been one venue at which he’s been a consistent threat. Last year, he made his way through to the final where he was beaten by Toledo, and in each of the three editions of the Margaret River Pro prior to that he was a quarterfinalist. The form this season might not be there to suggest he will be a legitimate threat to win this event, but his performances at this break in recent years mean he has to be considered a genuine chance to go deep into the contest.
The Roughie
Callum Robson got tongues wagging at the Rip Curl Pro, finishing second in just his fourth ever Championship Tour event. He was excellent at the event, beating Frederico Morais with a 15.27 heat total, sneaking past fan favourite Fanning with a last-minute 7.77, before just beating both Miguel Pupo and Robinson to make his way to the final against Toledo. He showed a level of competitive nous which belied his lack of experience, and demonstrated an ability to consistently pull off the scores he needed to win heats. That result saw him jump from 15th to 6th in the world rankings, and while it’s too early to be labelling him a potential WSL Finalist, good form is good form, and if he surfs like he did last week then he could be there when the whips are cracking.
Our Tip
The depth of talent on the Championship Tour means that there are plenty of legitimate chances to win every event, but while the upcoming Margaret River Pro is no exception, the names at the top look particularly tough to beat. Toledo is the in-form surfer in the world and the reigning champ at this location, so there is plenty in his favour, but Florence has been fairly comfortably the best surfer here since its introduction to the Championship Tour. In his past five visits to Margaret River – excluding the 2018 event which concluded in Indonesia – he is a two-time winner and a one-time runner-up, and he can add to his trophy collection with another win.
