2020 Caboolture Invitational - The Morning Line

 

After a 203-day break, the PBR Australia Monster Energy Tour returns with the 2020 Caboolture Invitational and a new single-day, dual event format that we will see at each stop from here until November’s Grand Finals.

Both the bulls and the riders have had quite a long break away from competition, but judging by everybody’s social media accounts, they are all tuned up and rearing to go.

We have a lot of bulls and a handful of riders that will be making their PBR Australia debut this weekend. That means we should learn a lot, but it also means that there are barely any form lines to follow, so we will stick to what we know for this edition of The Morning Line.

Here are a few of the matchups I am looking forward to seeing in today’s events:

 

Event 1 Matchups

Brady Fielder on Sick an Twisted (Brandenburg Bucking Bulls)
This matchup looks like an excellent opportunity for Fielder to get out in front early, and to stay there if he can make it work with Sick an Twisted. This bull has given up 5 qualified rides in his 8 PBR Australia trips, and 4 of those have resulted in round wins. Of those 4, 3 belong to right-handed riders. He should turn back to the right into Fielder’s hand at a nice tempo which will give the Clermont cowboy a chance to light things up late in the ride.

Lawson Nobbs on Ryans Gangster (BK Bucking Bulls)
I think Nobbs has a great chance at becoming the first left-handed rider to post a score on Ryans Gangster in PBR Australia competition here. The bull gave up two scores spinning to the right with right-handers aboard early in his career, but in his two trips during the 2019 season, we saw him turn back to the left. If that trend continues, he should spin into Nobbs’ hand and help the Moura talent take up a strong position on the leaderboard.

 

Event 2 Matchups

Lachlan Richardson on Firecracker (BK Bucking Bulls)
Earlier this week when I caught up with Richardson, he told me that he was ready to go and that he expects not to have lost a step during the break, and that’s good enough for me to put him on top in this matchup. Earlier in his career, Firecracker was almost exclusively around to the right and jumping high in the air, but in his last two trips, we have seen him fake a clockwise spin and go back to the left. Either way, I think the Gresford bull rider dismounts after the 8-second whistle.

Aaron Kleier on Sick an Twisted (Brandenburg Bucking Bulls)
Sick an Twisted has a nice long break before his second trip in Event 2, but his task doesn’t get easier after drawing the dual PBR Australian National Champion. Kleier was in outstanding form before the stoppage of all PBR tours in the USA, picking up 6 Top-15 finishes in three months. I am sure the Clermont bull rider would have kept himself ticking over nicely during the break and he will be another rider we can count on to post a score here, even if the bull is expected to turn back away from his hand.