Australian bull riding’s best of the best to buck it out in Origin 2025
Can New South Wales break Queensland’s all-time hold on thePBR Monster Energy Origin Series?
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.
Images and vision from Origin 2024 HERE
“The fiercest rivalry in Australian sport isn’t just played out on the footy field—it rages in the rodeo arena too,” said PBR Australia Managing Director Glen Young.
“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,” he said.
“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
2025 PBR MONSTER ENERGY ORIGIN SERIES
This is different. This is Origin.
PBR Australia Presents: PBR Monster Energy Tour - ORIGIN I - Newcastle
May 3 at 7:00 PM at Newcastle Entertainment Centre GET TICKETS
PBR Australia Presents: PBR Monster Energy Tour - ORIGIN II - Brisbane
Jun 7 at 7:00 PM at Brisbane Entertainment Centre GET TICKETS
PBR Australia Presents: PBR Monster Energy Tour - ORIGIN III - Sydney
Jul 5 at 7:00 PM at ICC Sydney Theatre GET TICKETS
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."
ABOUT PBR AUSTRALIA
Professional Bull Riders (PBR) is one of the fastest-growing sports properties in the world, with tours across the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico. A subsidiary of Endeavor, a global leader in sports, media, and entertainment, PBR has transformed bull riding into a premier international sport since its founding in 1992. The organisation features over 1,000 riders globally and hosts more than 200 events annually worldwide. In Australia, Professional Bull Riders Australia (PBRA) stages more than 20 events each year, attracting over 75,000 fans. PBRA showcases key events and tours such as the Monster Energy Tour, PBR Origin Series, and PBR Grand Finals, while also partnering with regional event organisers through the PBR Touring Pro Division. The organisation supports emerging talent through its Can-Am Junior Academy and serves as an international pathway to the United States circuit for both Junior and Open competition athletes. For more information, visit www.pbraustralia.com.au.
ABOUT PBR AUSTRALIA ORIGIN SERIES
The PBR Australia Origin Series is an electrifying state-versus-state bull riding competition, where top riders from New South Wales and Queensland face off in a thrilling trio of events. Modelled after the State of Origin rugby series, the Origin Series has quickly become one of the most anticipated highlights of the Professional Bull Riders Australia (PBRA) tour since its debut in 2019. As a central feature of the PBRA's annual schedule, which includes over 20 events nationwide, the PBR Origin Series plays a vital role in elevating bull riding in Australia. It also serves as an important pathway for emerging riders to progress to the international stage, further solidifying the series as a key part of PBRA’s commitment to growing the sport.
Key Facts:
2025 PBR MONSTER ENERGY ORIGIN SERIES
This is different. This is Origin.
PBR Australia Presents: PBR Monster Energy Tour - ORIGIN I - Newcastle
May 3 at 7:00 PM at Newcastle Entertainment Centre GET TICKETS
PBR Australia Presents: PBR Monster Energy Tour - ORIGIN II - Brisbane
Jun 7 at 7:00 PM at Brisbane Entertainment Centre GET TICKETS
PBR Australia Presents: PBR Monster Energy Tour - ORIGIN III - Sydney
Jul 5 at 7:00 PM at ICC Sydney Theatre GET TICKETS
Contact details:
Kath Rose on 0416 291 493 or email kath@kathrose.com
