Being the final stop of the regular season, you would expect the riders to be at the top of their game as we arrive in Tamworth; however, that hasn’t been the case. 

October events in the Country Music Capital haven’t been a happy hunting ground for the cowboys over recent seasons, with riding percentages below 20% recorded each year since 2022. They have also struggled against similar bull pens this season, so I think we can expect qualified rides to be hard to come by this weekend, but the potential for them to surpass that rate is still possible.

View the full 2025 Tamworth Invitational Daysheet.

As we discussed in the Tamworth preview yesterday, there's a lot at stake for riders vying for the end-of-season buckles and those near the Grand Finals qualification line, so let's dive into their Friday night matchups.

Round 1

Luan Crystian Camara on 070 Unstable (Dunne Bulls)

A tough matchup for Camara to start his weekend. Unstable has not been ridden in 11 PBR starts, with an average buck-off time of 4.40 seconds. We have watched plenty of left-handed riders take him on, so it'll be interesting to see how the right-handed Brazilian fares. This bull can change up his trips, but he generally comes out of the chute strong and can turn back in either direction.

Sam Woodall on 172 Roam Aviation Without Warning (Dunne Bulls)

Woodall should head into the opening round confident that he will reach the whistle and post a qualified ride. Without Warning was ridden twice at Mackay earlier this month for round-winning scores by Clint Glass and Kurt Shephard. He has a fairly reliable pattern of turning back to the right, which will allow the Heywood talent to use all his strength to finish on top, riding into his hand.

Dylan Weir on 155 Highway Man (Swain Cattle Company)

Highway Man can be a handful leaving the chutes, and he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve, making him hard to get started. He can fake and roll his way out of a few jumps before he decides which way to spin. Weir will be the first right-handed rider to climb aboard this bull. If the Tumut cowboy gets to the turn back in good shape and the bull chooses to turn right, he should score well.

Kurt Shephard on 8 Wyatt Earp (Lazy G Bucking Bulls)

I like this matchup for Shephard despite Wyatt Earp’s recent streak of seven consecutive buck-offs. This bull usually ends up turning back to the left, but he can try to fake his opponent out in either direction before he begins to spin. It’s another one of those matchups where if the Mareeba bull rider can stay in good shape early on, he should reap the benefits riding into his hand late.

Zane Hall on 058 Revolver (Dunne Bulls)

After being ridden just once in his first seventeen trips, Revolver was ridden twice at Mackay, combining with Donnie Rutherfurd for 86 points and a season-high 88 points against Alison Aguilar. This bull can turn back in either direction, but I think he prefers a counterclockwise spin, and he seems slightly stronger that way. That puts him into Hall’s left riding hand and gives the Athol talent a good chance at making the whistle.

Alison Aguiar on 059 Ariat Last Strike (Dunne Bulls)

We rarely see Last Strike deliver the same trip twice, and that's what has made him so tough to beat in his 18-trip career. Macaulie Leather owns the only score, recorded in 2024. Despite Leather’s success, left-handed riders haven’t fared well, bucking off almost a second earlier on average compared to righties. Aguilar has the hot hand, so if anyone in the field can snap the bull’s 14-out buck off streak, it’s the Brazilian.

Clint Glass on 124 Mooseys Moto Moto (MJ/Keliher Bucking Bulls/McGuire)

Moto Moto extended his unbeaten streak to 14 trips two weeks ago at Kilkivan, but I reckon the cowboys are getting closer to riding him. From the right delivery, this bull will likely turn back to the left, and he has plenty of moves that can unseat a well-placed cowboy. Glass will need to get this done away from his hand, but he has been in brilliant form, and this is a cracking chance to stay in Gold Buckle contention.

Donnie Rutherfurd on 850 Forever Young (MJ/Keliher Bucking Bulls)

Kelsey Pavlou earned a bunch of cash aboard this bull at Kilkivan, and the riders seem to be on a bit of a roll against him after enduring a 24-out run of buck-offs. It’s hard to predict what this bull will do, but we do know he will be up and down with a lot of kick. Rutherfurd has bucked off four bulls since winning the first two rounds at Mackay, but he hasn’t been far away, so look for the Mount Isa talent to bounce back here.

Thomas Hudson on B02 Da Bear (Lazy G Bucking Bulls/Pukallus)

This is a rematch from early last season, where Da Bear won the matchup quickly, but Hudson has been riding well, and I think he can even the record here. The bull consistently turns back to the right and bucks at a good tempo. That pattern puts him away from the Dungog bull rider’s hand, but leftie Zane Hall has scored twice on this bull, so there's plenty of confidence to be gained from that.

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