Team QLD win PBR Origin with Clean Sweep

Team Queensland have once again taken home a victory, cementing themselves as the supreme bull riding state with a clean sweep in an electric final showdown between Queensland and New South Wales’ best bull riders at the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) series final in Cairns on Saturday.

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Following their consecutive wins at the Brisbane and Newcastle events in June, Team Queensland have been crowned Origin Series Champions for the fifth time, since the series inception in 2019, and met their 2024 goal of going three for three.

A nail-biting first round saw Queensland maintain a slight lead, but it was the third and final round where Team Queensland soar ahead, taking out the lead with 679.50 to 496.25.

Team Queensland Captain Macaulie Leather said he couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the series, and was extremely proud of the team.

“I know what the boys are capable of and they know what they’re capable of and they went off and proved it,” Leather said.

“They always ride unreal, they’re all exceptional athletes individually and to do it as a team is even better.”

Taking advantage of his North Queensland roots in front of the NQ crowd, Townsville rider Braydon Wellby left it all on the dirt, taking home the highest score of the night with three qualified rides and a total score of 254.25.

Wellby’s best ride came in Round III where he rode 86.5 on Ambush (CF7 Bucking Bulls) and said he was glad his high scores of the night helped contribute to Queensland’s clean sweep.

“It’s definitely good to be able to be in North Queensland,” Wellby said

“I normally rodeo here and I go to a lot of the shows up here and it was good to see a lot of people I knew in the crowd and everyone backing and supporting me.”

“It’s good to see points ticking over and keep coming one bull at a time and hopefully I can keep it going.”

Securing his best ride on Blondie’s Bomber (CF7 Bucking Bulls) was Team New South Wales Captain Lachlan Richardson, who rode 87.50 in Round II.

Richardson said while the team didn’t take home the win, there were many positives to take away from the series.

“We’re coming together as a team and building and there’s always stuff to work on, but I’m very proud of the boys,” Richardson said.

“They’ve put a lot of effort in and we’ve come a lot closer together.”

“You have to have a very short memory when you’re a bull rider and turn it around and build something out of nothing, and we did that and kept it going there for a little bit,” said Richardson.

For the Bovine Athletes, taking home the YETI bull of the night was Forever Young (MJ/Keliher Bucking Bulls) who scored a 44 when he bucked off Thomas Hudson (Dungog) in just 2.22 seconds, in Round I.

Forever Young has competed in 19 PBR Australia events this year, and has a 3.04 bucking rate.

PBR Australia General Manager Glen Young said the Cairns crowd came to get involved, and the electric atmosphere made for a great event.

“As the final night of the series, the boys were all hyped and cheering their teams on, which, as an individual sport, they don’t get to do as much,” said Mr Young.

“There was a lot of bull power on Saturday night, resulting in a number of buck offs, which always makes for an interesting night, and the crowd loved it.

“It was neck and neck at the end of round I, however it was ultimately Team Queensland who surged in the final round to secure three wins across the 2024 Origin Series.”

With one event left until the final showdown, riders will now be looking to gain crucial points ahead of the Grand Finals in Townsville on November 1 and 2, which is the richest bull riding event in the southern hemisphere, where $30,000 of prize money is up for grabs.

At the top of the Australian National Standings ahead of the Grand Finals, is Calliope rider Boston Leather, who’s performance in the Origin Series has helped maintain his position as No.1.

“Both teams laid it all on the line throughout the series, and it is evident the strong calibre of riders we have, especially with how close the scores have been at the last two events,” said Mr Young.

“As the anticipation builds for who will be crowned the 2024 PBR Monster Energy Tour Australian Champion, we’re eager to see how the national standings shape up with only one event to go.”

To check out the full schedule or book your tickets for the Grand Finals, click here.