04.07.26 - News
Coaches announced for the 2026 PBR Australia Monster Energy Origin Series
Can NSW continue their first ever Origin winning streak or will Queensland take back this historic bull riding title?
By PBR
In 2025, PBR Australia’s Monster Energy Origin Series decider in Sydney delivered a heart-stopping, history-making showdown, as NSW’s fiercest bull riders proved they were no longer the underdogs, taking the win with 500.25 points (6 qualified rides) over Queensland’s 419.50 (5 qualified rides).
It was the bull-riding Blues first ever Origin Series win.
While the two coaches behind the teams in 2026 remain the same, their passion has been ignited and each has a very specific aim – Queensland’s is to retake the title and maintain superiority, NSW’s is to make it an historic two-from-two.
Leading Queensland’s maroon-clad warriors into the arenas in Newcastle, Brisbane and Sydney will be bull rider-turned one of the toughest Protection Athletes in the game Jared Borghero for Queensland, and for NSW, it’s seven-time PBR World Finals qualifier and one of the sport’s most respected competitors is Gresford-born Lachlan Richardson.
Origin 2026 begins in Newcastle on May 30, before heading to Brisbane on June 6, and culminating in Sydney at the TikTok Entertainment Centre on August 1. Tickets are on sale now.
“The fiercest rivalry in Australian sport isn’t just played out on the footy field; it rages in the bull riding 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, and these two coaches bleed maroon and blue respectively. It’s going to be a hectic three event series!” said PBR Australia Managing Director Glen Young.
Each Origin Event will have $50,000 in prizemoney, making it $150k over the Series. In addition to this the Cowboy of Origin (the rider with the highest aggregate over 3 events) will also receive a $30,000 bonus.
Bull riding runs four generations deep in the Borghero family. At 15, he rode his first bull, by 2016-17, he was at the top of his game, winning the legendary Mount Isa Rodeo bull ride, securing the APRA Pro Tour title, and earning Protection Athlete of the Year. In 2015 he found his true calling, becoming a PBR Protection Athlete. Standing between a fallen rider and a raging bull takes a special kind of courage, and Borghero has proven time and again why he’s one of the best in the business. With 13 Protection Athlete titles, he’s built a legacy of fearlessness and instinct.
"It’s an absolute honour and privilege to be named coach of QLD again for this series. Still to this day, it is one of the proudest achievements in my life, I live for Origin. I’m very excited to watch this champion team represent their state proudly and bring the heat that Queensland is known for. It's going to be an exciting series," he said.
From the rolling hills of Gresford, NSW, to the world’s biggest bull riding stages, Lachlan Richardson has built a career defined by toughness and an unbreakable will to succeed. 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 is comfortable leading the Blues into the fiercest battle of them all: PBR Origin Series.
“It’s an honour to coach Team NSW. Origin was always my favourite time of year, and now it’s no different—except now I get to put my full focus on the team. We don’t talk. We ride and we rest at the end, not in the middle."
• 2019: Queensland
• 2020: Covid year
• 2021: Queensland
• 2022: Queensland
• 2023: Queensland
• 2024: Queensland
• 2025: News South Wales
Experience meets passion. Toughness meets tactics. And when the dust settles, only one team will have the bragging rights. This isn’t just bull riding. This is Origin—PBR style. Who will rise? Who will fall? And when the dust settles, which state will stand tallest?