Origin Teams Announced for the Toughest Series on the Planet

 

Australia’s fiercest sporting rivalry is saddling up once again – but this ain’t footy! This is bull riding Origin—PBR-style—and in 2025, it’s tougher, louder, and prouder than ever.

The PBR Monster Energy Origin Series is back, storming into Newcastle, Brisbane and Sydney for a three-round battle of epic proportions. And the teams? They’re now locked, loaded and ready to ride.

“The fiercest rivalry in Australian sport isn’t just played out on the footy field—it rages in the rodeo arena too.

Welcome to the PBR Monster Energy Origin Series, where the boys go head-to-head in the toughest test of skill, strength, and sheer grit: professional bull riding. With nothing but eight seconds standing between glory and the dust, these boys ride for more than just personal victory—they ride for state pride,” said PBR Australia Managing Director Glen Young.

“Queensland hasn’t lost an Origin Series since it began in 2019, so this year, it’s going to be a fierce battle, with Queensland pumped for back-to-back victories, and NSW keen to make their mark,” he said.

 

TEAM QUEENSLAND – MAROON PRIDE

With five straight Origin titles under their belt, the mighty Maroons are out to defend their throne with a powerhouse line-up:

• Kurt Shephard – Mareeba's finest, and current PBR Australia leaderboard leader
• Macaulie Leather – Calliope’s cowboy dynamo
• Ben Bode – Leather’s Calliope counterpart, all grit and grind
• Thomas Triplett – Bungandarra’s bull-taming machine
• Bryn Francis – From Moura, riding with fire in his veins
• Caiden Sandilands – Rocky’s own rising star
• Zane Hall – Athol's adrenaline-chaser
• Jack Keats – Cloncurry’s cool and calculated charger
• Rylee Ward – The Kiwi connection, adding international edge to QLD’s dominance
• Nash Mellors – The Gracemere young gun with ice in his veins.
• With Bowen’s Beau Willis and Brumby Brandenberg from Bloomsbury the two reserves

 

TEAM NEW SOUTH WALES – BLUE BLOODED AND READY TO RUMBLE

The Blues have revenge in their sights and a team built to break the streak:

• Jack Brodrick – Bungendore’s bold front-runner
• Tyson Smith – The pride of Walcha
• Jack Rowlandson – Oberon’s steel-nerved slinger
• Dylan Weir – Tumut’s determined force
• Clint Glass – The quiet powerhouse from the NSW  Liverpool Plains (Willow Tree)
• Toby Adams – From Mendooran, fierce and focused
• Lauchlan Waters and Wyatt Fraser from South Australia join the Blues in battle
• Four Brazilian stars join the charge as international bull riding warriors ready to shake things up: Joao Rigaard Franco, Matheus Lima Rodrigues, Luan Crystian Camara, and Diego Galdino

 

THE STAKES

• Each Origin event brings $50,000 in prize money, totalling $150,000 over the series.
• The Cowboy of Origin—the top performer across all three events—will score an extra $30,000 bonus.

 

ORIGIN SCOREBOARD SO FAR

• 2019: Queensland
• 2020: Covid
• 2021: Queensland
• 2022: Queensland
• 2023: Queensland
• 2024: Queensland

 

THE COACHES

Coaching Queensland is bull rider-turned one of the toughest Protection Athletes in the game Jared Borghero for Queensland, and behind NSW is seven-time PBR World Finals qualifier and one of the sport’s most respected competitors in Gresford-born Lachie Richardson. Twice national champion, Singleton’s Cody Heffernan is assisting Richardson. (Bios below).

 

JARED BORGHERO – QUEENSLAND ORIGIN COACH

Born and bred in Beaudesert, Borghero has spent his life in the dirt—first as a bull rider, then as one of the toughest Protection Athletes in the game. Bull riding runs deep in the Borghero family—four generations deep. At 15, he rode his first bull, by 2016-17 he won the legendary Mount Isa Rodeo bull ride, securing the APRA Pro Tour title, and earning Protection Athlete of the Year—a season he’ll never forget. It was in 2015 that he found his true calling—becoming a PBR Protection Athlete. With 13 Protection Athlete titles, he’s built a legacy of fearlessness and instinct.

 “It’s one of the top three proudest moments of my life to be appointed coach.” His philosophy? Queenslanders don’t just compete—they dominate. “We are all one in the maroon sheds. We support each other, we fight for each other, and I have no doubt these boys will make Queensland proud again. My advice is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

 

LACHIE RICHARDSON – NSW STATE OF ORIGIN COACH

From the rolling hills of Gresford, NSW, to the world’s biggest bull riding stages, Lachie Richardson has built a career defined by toughness. A seven-time PBR World Finals qualifier, the 2012 PBR Australia Rookie of the Year, and one of the sport’s most respected competitors, now, he steps into a new challenge—leading Team New South Wales. Lachie was just 10 years old when he rode his first calf, and his crowning moment? Qualifying seven times for the PBR World Finals, the pinnacle of professional bull riding. His game plan? Let the talent shine while ensuring his riders are mentally strong and ready to perform. "We don’t talk. We ride. Rest at the end, not in the middle."

 

Stay tuned to PBRAustralia.com.au and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Australia) and Instagram (@PBRAustralia) for the latest results, news, stats and more.