State Pride on the Line and Matchups to Watch at PBR Origin Opener

 

The 2025 PBR Origin series gets underway in Newcastle tonight, with the top 10 bull riders from New South Wales and Queensland facing off against each other and taking on some of the rankest bucking bulls in the country.

The season riding percentage is slightly lower than expected after the first eight stops of the Monster Energy Tour heading. Still, tonight's draw looks like a good opportunity for riders to record some solid qualified rides and to build their personal and team momentum for the run through the Origin season.

View the full 2025 PBR Origin I - Newcastle Daysheet.

Here are my must-see matchups:

 

Round 1

Zane Hall (QLD) on 012E Just Right (Keliher Bucking Bulls)

The Athol talent hasn’t had his best start to the season, but he hasn’t been far away on some decent bulls. In 2024, Hall had a similar start to his campaign, but he then went 9-from-17 across Origin months. Just Right will be his opponent for the opening round. This bull has been ridden four times in his seven-trip career, and all those qualified rides belong to left-handed riders. History says the bull will turn back to the left and into the 23-year-old’s riding hand. The score isn’t expected to be massive, but this looks to be an important matchup for the Maroons in the early stages of the contest.

 

Matheus Lima Rodrigues (NSW) on 031 Poker Face (MJ Bucking Bulls and Keliher Bucking Bulls)

The 22-year-old burst on the scene in February, picking up the win at Beaudesert in his PBR Australia debut. Rodrigues has cooled slightly since that performance, but he did finish fourth at Armidale at his last start. His draw for Round 1 is Poker Face who has been ridden twice in PBR competition. Both scores went to left-handed riders during the 2024 season, but we have since seen eight cowboys come down early. The bull preferred an anti-clockwise spin early in his career, which would have suited the Brazilian talent, but in his two trips in 2025, it looks as though he has developed a fake to the left before turning back to the right.

 

Lachlan Waters (NSW) on 918 Booga Wooga (Lazy G Bucking Bulls)

Waters makes his PBR Origin debut against Booga Wooga in Round 1. This bull has been out nine times and allowed two scores. The first went to Lane Mellers at Hawkesbury, and the second to Brady Fielder at the Grand Finals. He is at his best if he can get out of the chute clean, but that is not always the case. He always turns back to the right, and that will put him into the Oakbank cowboy's riding hand. Waters has picked up prize money at his last two starts in Lardner and Rockhampton, so the 28-year-old looks to be on the up, and this looks like a nice matchup for him to put his name onto the Cowboy of Origin leaderboard.

 

Ben Bode (QLD) on 011E Alpha Blokes Warden (MJ Bucking Bulls and Keliher Bucking Bulls)

Bode is another rider who started his year strong but has been shut out at his last three tour stops. The 21-year-old faces The Warden for the second time this season. The first meeting was at Rockhampton last month, where the bull won their Championship Round matchup in 4.58 seconds. The Warden has produced some outstanding trips since debuting almost a year ago. His average bull score is 43.44 points, and his undefeated run now features 20 cowboys with an average buck-off time of 3.48 seconds. He moves fast and will be around to the left, allowing the Calliope young gun to utilise all of his strength into his hand to try and match this bull’s impressive moves.

 

Round 2

Kurt Shephard (QLD) on 711 Seven Eleven (CF7 Bucking Bulls, Pugh Bros and ADS Mining Service Partnership)

The Mareeba veteran has a couple of tough draws tonight, so any contribution he can make to his team's total will likely be a score in the excellent range. Shephard leads the National Standings off the back of event wins in Bendigo, Lardner and Rockhampton and all six of his qualified rides in 2025 have resulted in a round win. The proven Origin performer faces Seven Eleven to open Round 2. This bull was ridden twice very early in his career but he has since put together an imposing 30-out buck off streak. It has been about a year since he faced a high-ranked left-handed rider, and tonight could be the night we finally see him ridden for 8-seconds. They will do battle around to the left.

 

Clint Glass (NSW) on 413 Quitting Time (Dittmann Bucking Bulls)

Glass had a slow start to his season, but he broke through for his first event win of the season at Armidale last month to move into a qualification spot for the Blues. The 30-year-old can be quite streaky and post multiple qualified rides quickly once he gets his tail up. Quitting Time is a bull that we have only seen a few times on tour and is currently unridden. After some swift buck-offs in his first two trips, Caiden Sandilands took him to 7+ seconds last month in Rockhampton, so we got a good look at him on that occasion. He should be to the right in the gate and should tip the advantage to the Willow Tree cowboy.

 

Macaulie Leather (QLD) on 937 War Drums (Maynes Bucking Bulls)

War Drums is another bull that has begun his career without allowing a qualified ride, and Leather is one of five riders featured on his buck-off list. They matched up at Hawkesbury last season, with the clock stopping at 7.75 seconds after the bull turned back into his hand. There aren't too many bulls of this calibre that get past the Calliope cowboy twice, so the 24-year-old will start a short-priced favourite in this rematch. If the bull gets out clean and free of interference, he should again be around to the left.

 

Luan Crystian Camara (NSW) on 059 Stitch Up (CF7 Bucking Bulls)

The Brazilian talent rode three of his first four bulls on Australian soil, but he has since bucked off his last six. This matchup looks like a nice opportunity for him to get the train back on the tracks. Stitch Up has started his PBR career with three straight buck-offs. Two of those riders were lefties, and one was a righty. On all occasions, he has turned back to the right. He will be a much better fit for a right-handed rider, and Camara fits that mould. This ride comes up at the halfway point of the round during what looks to be a tough stretch of the draw for the Blue, so if the 31-year-old can put together a qualified ride, it will be a timely boost for his team and the Newcastle crowd.

 

Caiden Sandilands (QLD) on 882 Uppercut (Maynes Bucking Bulls)

Sandilands has had a solid start to the year, picking up a cheque at four of the five events he has competed in. Two of his scores have been good enough for round wins, and he hasn't been far off boosting his riding percentage with plenty of buck-offs just shy of the whistle. Uppercut is his second opponent of the night, and we have seen this bull ridden just once from eight trips in PBR competition. That score went to Boston Leather for 85.50 points at Caboolture last season. He produces a consistent trip with a fake to the right before turning back to the left. If the 26-year-old Rockhampton bull rider can remain in good shape through the look to the right, he should be able to finish the ride strong into his hand.

 

Tyson Smith (NSW) on 134 Thickshake (MC Bucking Bulls)

The final out of the second long round looks like a great matchup, and it could determine the make-up of the Bonus Round. Smith has kicked off his season with three top-5 finishes with a riding percentage above 30%. He has two round-winning rides to his name, so we know the Walcha cowboy can put together some solid scores. Thickshake holds a 4-nil record over the cowboys on tour so far, but we have seen plenty of him with the average buck-off time nearing the 4-second mark. He is another bull that follows a similar pattern each time he bucks. He will fake to the left and turn back to the right, and that trip should benefit the 26-year-old.

 

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