With state bragging rights on the line, the first lineup of riders to qualify for the NSW and QLD state sides to compete at the inaugural Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Origin event were announced today.
Taking place on June 1st 2019 at the new ICC Sydney Theatre in Darling Harbour, the first ever PBR Origin is set to attract the best bull riding athletes from across NSW and QLD for an electrifying head-to-head team battle that will decide the title of Toughest State on Dirt.
Team NSW is led by Captain and 2017 PBR Australia Champion, Troy Wilkinson (Upper Horton). The Tamworth-born Wilkinson will be joined by current PBR Standings No.1Cody Heffernan and No.5 Cliff Richardson, who have both qualified for the NSW roster following stellar and consistent showings on the PBR Australia Tour this year.
Both Heffernan (Singleton) and Richardson (Gresford) are based in the Hunter Valley, NSW, and are both renowned for getting the job done at PBR Majors. When the pressure is on, both men have proven they can rise above and beyond to produce the goods.
Team QLD Captain and 2018 PBR Australia Champion Aaron Kleier (Clermont) will have current PBR Australia No.4 Brady Fielder (Clermont) – who is the reigning 2018 Pro Rodeo Australian Bull Riding Champion – and No.9 Mitch Paton (Nebo) as the first charge qualifiers to don the maroon jersey.
Paton, along with Heffernan, Richardson, Kleier and Wilkinson, was part of the Australian team that finished second at the 2018 Global Cup in Sydney.
Tour rookie Fielder is having a breakthrough year after taking out PBR events at Marrabel (SA) and the Royal Easter Show (NSW). He also joined the Australian team for the Global Cup event in Arlington, Texas.
In total, the PBR origin will comprise two 11-rider teams representing NSW and Queensland. The teams will consist of nine riders from each state, as well as four international wildcards that will include two Mexican Champions and two Brazilian Champions. Team Captains will toss a coin to determine who gets the first international pick.
Every rider from the two teams will compete on two bulls each, and – similar to football – it will be a scoring competition.
If the rider makes the 8 second whistle he will be judged on his ride, and the score he is given will then count towards his team score. If the 8 seconds isn’t made, there’s no score.
The top four scoring riders from each team will progress to the Bonus Round, or in footy terms, the equivalent of the Golden Point.
The two teams will then face off against the top four bulls from each state. The scores from this round will also add to the team’s total, and the team with the highest combined scoring team will take out the win.
If there is a tie, the competition will progress to another round where the top rider from each state will face off against each other until there is an eventual outright winner.
A ‘man of the match’ style award will also be decided on the night, with the rider who notches the highest combined scores over three qualified rides crowned the 2019 ‘Cowboy of Origin’.
“We’re only weeks out from the event, and the excitement is building fast. With riders still competing weekly for qualifying points to make their respective state teams, the stakes are higher than ever and rivalry is at its peak,” said PBR Australia General Manager, Glen Young.
“Professional bull riding is a sport that is known for mateship. These guys put their lives on the line each week, and it instills a high degree of camaraderie amongst the riders. It’s been interesting to see this event pit the riders against each other from a state rivalry perspective for the first time – it adds a new competition dynamic to PBR that we’ve never had in Australia before. The four riders announced today have all competed together as a team for their country, and will now go up against one another for their state,” Young added.
“With tonnes of the best raging bulls from NSW and QLD thrown into the mix, it’s going to be a battle fiercer than anything seen on the footy field,” said Young.
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