By The Numbers: PBR Origin II 2024 Newcastle
By: Sean Walsh Thursday, June 20, 2024 @ 11:42 AM
As the 2024 PBR Origin Series heads towards Game II, it's the New South Welshman who will drop their rigging bags in the home change rooms as PBR Origin takes a trip south of the border to the Hunter Valley this weekend.
After the Queenslanders were victorious in Brisbane a fortnight ago by a whopping 407.25 points, it will be Lachlan Richardson's men who need a victory at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre to stay alive in the series and send it to a decider in Cairns.
The Queenslanders have history on their side at the NEC, with the previous two PBR Origin Events in Newcastle (Origin I 2022 & 2023) both going the way of the visitors.
PBRAustralia.com.au's Sean Walsh breaks down the matchups and battles to look for ahead of PBR Origin II in Newcastle.
Matchups To Watch- Round 1:
Thomas Hudson (NSW) on AUSM-55F Taquito (Maynes Bucking Bulls)
PBR Origin is more than a familiar and comfortable step up for the NSW Cowboy, with this weekend marking the eighth event Hudson has represented NSW in the series.
The southpaw successfully found the whistle on Wild Force (Ruhland Ranch) during the Extra Round for 82.75 points in Brisbane and chalked up his first PBR Origin ride after fourteen straight buckoffs.
Taquito is a young bovine from the Maynes Bucking Bulls roster, having been covered four times in eight trips with an average bull score of 40.28 points per out.
Look for the animal athlete to turn back to the right, which will be away from the hand of Hudson, but if he can find the middle early and take control of the ride, expect him to double his Origin ride tally in Round 1.
Beau Willis (QLD) on AUST-9026 Bad Deal (ST Bucking Bulls)
Another seasoned campaigner on the PBR Australia Monster Energy Tour Beau Willis will feature for Queensland in Round One and will be sharing the chute with Bad Deal from ST Bucking Bulls.
The North Queenslander followed suit of the aforementioned Thomas Hudson, gaining his first qualified ride in an Origin jersey during Brisbane, a 76.75-point score in Round 1 for the Maroons.
Bad Deal is an athletic bucker with plenty of movement up and down, currently holding a 10-5 record on the PBRA circuit with a 4.21 second average buckoff time.
Look for the bovine to turn back to the right and into the hand of Willis, giving him a very ridable trip to add to the four other right-handed riders who have gained a score on the ST Bucking Bulls pen member.
Matchups To Watch- Round 2:
Will Watson (NSW) on LGPU-64 Haunted (Lazy G Pukallus Partnership)
In pressure situations, there is no substitute for calmness and that's exactly what 39-year-old Will Watson brings to an otherwise younger NSW Group.
The #20 ranked bull rider in the country will tie his hand to Haunted from the Lazy G/Pukallus Partnership as the night moves into the 2nd round in the Hunter Valley.
Haunted is a bovine sitting at 11-1 heading into this weekend's trip and will want to make a mark on the Origin arena for the first time and extend a current buckoff streak past six as it currently stands.
The ability for this bovine to go in either direction screams out to you when you watch his previous outs and paired with Watson's dual ability to take bulls into and away from his hand, this shapes up a cracker of a matchup.
Rylee Ward (QLD) on LGPU-B02 Da Bear (Lazy G Pukallus Partnership)
In bull riding, we love a good rematch or redemption story, and Rylee Ward the promising rider from Team Queensland will get a shot at that this Saturday. Ward will once again go up against Da Bear (Lazy G Pukallus Partnership) in their second showdown since the Sydney event in April.
The Hawks Bay protégé is no stranger to the shine of the bright lights of the Origin arena dirt, with Newcastle the fifth straight Origin event he will don the Maroon chaps after making his debut in Game I in 2023.
Da Bear is a rookie bull in 2024 and has shown some strong trips to date as a solid long-round bull, and has shown with a 41.4-point bull score average across the 2024 PBRA season.
If Ward can learn from their previous outing in Sydney and find a way to keep himself from falling to the inside of the spin, he will be in with a good shot at adding to the Queenslander's tally.
PBR Origin 101:
Each team consists of ten riders from each state, with riders qualifying through their ranking in the PBR Australia Standings thus far in 2024.
Riders can be eligible for selection via their state or birth being Queensland or New South Wales, or if a rider is born outside of those two states, they are required to nominate a state before their first PBRA event, with that becoming their adopted home team.
Before the first Origin of the year, PBR Australia selected two captains for both teams, with reigning Australian Champion and Clermont, Central Queensland native Macualie Leather leading the men in Maroon and PBRA Veteran and Gresford, NSW product Lachlan Richardson will lead the New South Welshman.
There will be two long rounds for each bull rider to attempt two bulls, with the top eight riders of the event riding from lowest to highest in the extra round to complete the night and the highest aggregate team across the three rounds the event winner.
Follow @PBRAustralia on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with all the action across the 2024 PBR Origin Series and tune into the exclusive livestream of the event this Saturday Night HERE.