By The Numbers: Origin I Newcastle

The toughest teams battle in Australian sport is here for another year, with the 2023 PBR Origin series getting underway this Saturday night at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre. The first edition of the 2023 Origin series will be the seventh overall PBR Origin event and the second in Newcastle, after the series was opened up last year at the same venue in April. Take a look at some of the key pointers to watch for as Queensland and New South Wales do battle and look to get their 2023 PBR Origin campaign underway with success. 

Stats Pack Origin I 2023.pdf

5- New South Wales' line up for PBR Origin I will feature five riders who will be making their debut in the Sky Blue in the PBR Origin with Dubbo, NSW local James Stockdale among the group to grab their first start in the PBR Origin arena, after a solid start to the 2023 PBR Australia season. Lachlan Burgess (Bungendore, NSW) will be sure to have plenty of friends and family make the trip to the the Hunter Valley to watch the young Cowboy's first out in a NSW Origin shirt. Joining those two will also be Toby Collins (Maldon,Vic), Darcy McBean (Katherine, NT) and Riley Eade (Tresco, Vic) in the NSW team, who will be looking to turn around the result from 2022 and get NSW on the board early in the series. 


747.50- Last time the PBR Origin series stopped over in Newcastle, the Queensland riders were dominate their performance in the corresponding fixture last year, racking up nine qualified rides across the night for a 747.50 aggregate, which was 242.5 points clear of their NSW rivals on the night. Aaron Kleier was able to cover multiple bulls, getting to the whistle during rounds 1 and 3, but from a NSW point of view they will take confidence from the fact Cody Heffernan was also able to gain two scores on the night for the locals.

11- For the unlucky rider who draws red hot bovine Ranga (MJ / Keliher Bucking Bulls) during Saturday nights Short Go Round 3, they will be faced with the task of breaking an 11 out current buck-off streak the bovine has which stretches all the way back to Caboolture in 2022. The bovine is also unmatched in PBR Origin with its four outs ending in misery for the Cowboys, so it shapes up to be a fantastic battle and one that could heavily impact the outcome of the event. 

See Daysheet Here

26- The Queensland lineup features seven riders who have had experience at this level, with every rider reaching the whistle at least once while representing the sunshine state in PBR Origin. Aaron Kleier (11), leads the team in qualified rides as well as Kurt Shephard (6), Lane Mellers (3) and Kelsey Pavlou (3) who have all tasted previous success in the PBR Origin Arena. Queensland's collective total of 26 total career qualified rides in Origin is 16 more than their NSW counterparts and the Cowboys in Maroon will be looking to use that experience on Saturday Night under the bright lights of a PBR Origin series opener. 

33.3- Current PBR Australia standings leader Sam Woodall will feature in his first Origin series since 2021, after missing last years event due to being in the US and will be looking to further push out his lead on top of the PBRA Standings. The PBR veteran has had 3 successful trips out of 9 (33%) during his Origin career to date and his Round 1 dance partner Rodeo Ringer (Throsby & Russell Bucking Bulls) looks to be a good matchup for the cowboy, with the bovine only having three previous outs in the PBR, being covered twice for qualified rides. 

Follow along with all the action from the Newcastle Entertainment Centre with our FREE PBR Australia live stream at PBRAustralia.com.au/Livestream.