Andersen and Parkinson find new homes in inaugural PBR Teams Expansion Draft

 

A new dawn of PBR Teams was unearthed with the first-ever PBR Teams Expansion Draft taking place on Wednesday evening. Oklahoma Wildcatters and New York Mavericks built their rosters for their first inaugural season in 2024. 

After the top 12 selections to fill the rosters of the two expansion teams were complete, each of the remaining teams was given a chance to select one compensatory pick if a rider was taken from their rosters' unprotected list. Two Australians were selected from that group of unrestricted free agents to find new homes in the 2024 PBR Teams season.


Luke Parkinson- Nashville Stampede 

 

With Nashville losing Kaique Pacheco with the first pick to the OK Wildcatters (Who was eventually traded to Austin), the first team to grab a PBR Teams World Title used the opportunity with the opening compensatory pick to grab the Denman, NSW right-hander Luke Parkinson to add to their roster. 

 

Nashville Stampede Take Luke Parkinson 

Parkinson spent the first two seasons of PBR Teams on the Missouri Thunder roster and has a 2-from-15 riding resume in the five-on-five format, going 2-from-7 in 2022, but struggled last season with an 8-out buck-off streak leading to the Aussie not seeing as much action towards the latter half of the season.

Luke Parkinson PBR Teams Highlights

 

With Parkinson joining a roster that includes five PBR World Titles between Silvano Alves (3) and Jess Lockwood (2), the New South Welshman will want to learn plenty from his Stampede teammates and help aid the quest to bring the Teams Gold Buckle Trophy back to the home of country music. 

 

Qynn Andersen- Arizona Ridge Riders

 

 

The Ridge Riders wasted no time following in the footsteps of the aforementioned Nashville franchise. They picked another Australian in Koumala QLD young gun Qynn Andersen, replacing Vitor Losnake's roster spot when the Brazilian was taken #2 overall to make him the first-ever New York Maverick. 

 

Arizona Ridge Riders Take Qynn Andersen


Qynn's climb up the PBR ranks has been rapid, with a Top 5 finish at last year's PBR Australia Grand Finals, following up a first-year stanza in the PBR Teams series with Missouri Thunder becoming a home for the Queenslander to make his first appearance in the brightest lights on the PBR circuit.

 

PBR Teams Highlights: Qynn Andersen

Andersen had a solid 2023 freshman season, having two qualified rides in his twelve appearances in the Thunder's starting lineup by gaining scores in Ridgedale, MO, and Oklahoma City, OK. He will want to impress coach Colby Yates to find his opportunity on the starting roster come event one Oklahoma on July 12th-14th. 

Fellow Queenslander Brady Fielder is returning to the Texas Rattlers for the third straight season after being selected by the Rattlers' front office to be locked into the protected roster, which means he was unable to be poached by another franchise during the Expansion Draft. 

Currently sitting #10 in the world and pushing for his first-ever PBR Gold Buckle, he looks to be set for a massive role this season and expand on his 17-from-46 (37%) PBR Teams output thus far across two seasons.