Tonight, in Game 1 of the 2026 PBR Origin series in Newcastle, the riders will face a pen of bulls that is quite similar to the one they came up against at the beginning of this month at the Sydney Meatstock Touring Pro. Over the course of that event, they capitalised on 36.62% of their opportunities, which is a season high for the cowboys in 2026.

With the addition of some serious bull-power from Queensland, I am not sure whether they can reach those levels here in the 'Steel City', but I anticipate they won't be far away.

Let's dive into some of the highlight matchups:

View the full PBR Origin I – Newcastle Daysheet

Round 1 Matchups

Dylan Weir (NSW) on 269 Dr Pepper (MC Bucking Bulls)

Weir will be the first rider out, and he should be able to get the Blues off to a good start. Dr Pepper has been ridden four times from his seven trips in PBR competition, with scores averaging just over the 80-point mark. Toby Adams was the last rider to make the whistle, and he was awarded 81.20 points in Sydney at Meatstock. The Tumut cowboy has been in great form during May, riding three of his five bulls to finish fourth in Sydney and runner-up at Nowra. The bull's preferred trip sees him turn back to the right, and that will put him into Weir's riding hand.

Boston Leather (QLD) on 182 Blink 182 (MC Bucking Bulls)

The Queenslanders also look to have drawn well for their first trip of the night. Blink 182 has been ridden in 33% of his ten outs on tour for an average score of 81.60 points. Kelsey Pavlou was 83.70 points at Sydney Meatstock and the bull produced his regular trip with a turn back to the right. That will put him into Leather's hand here and give the cowboy the advantage. The Calliope talent picked up a big win at the Nowra Invitational just a couple of weeks ago with two excellent rides, and his confidence will be on the rise.

Sam Woodall (NSW) on 065 Maltmans Juggernaut (Diamond S Bucking Bulls)

Maltmans Juggernaut has given up three low scores from three outs to begin his career in the PBR, but he can be a little tricky to get by. He can turn back in either direction and can mix up his action and tempo. This is a bull that Woodall should cover, and the Blues will almost have this matchup pencilled in as a qualified ride – but we know how unpredictable things can be. The Heywood bull rider has been in outstanding form of late, going 3-for-3 to win the Meatstock Touring Pro in Sydney. He will start a short priced favourite in this matchup.

Macaulie Leather (QLD) on N4H All The Rage (Diamond S Bucking Bulls)

This is a rematch from Game 1 of the 2025 PBR Origin series here in Newcastle, where the bull won in 7.10 seconds. The Calliope cowboy returns from a stint in America, where he finished in the top 5 at the PBR Velocity Finals and got three bulls ridden at the PBR World Finals. All The Rage has allowed six scores averaging upwards of 84 points at a rate of 33%. Four of those scores have gone the way of left-handers, and two of those riders picked up the corresponding round win. Expect them to do battle around to the left, and I don't think Leather will let him get the better of him twice.

Ethan Coster (QLD) on 711 Seven Eleven (CF7 Bucking Bulls/Pugh Bros/ADS Mining)

Another rematch, but this time from the Toowoomba Meatstock event, where they combined for a round winning score of 88.20 points and led to Coster's maiden PBR event win. It was just the sixth qualified ride that Seven Eleven has given up in almost 50 outs in the PBR, but four of those scores have come in the past 10 months. Coster is converting at an outstanding 53.33% so far this season, and I don't think the bright lights and the pressure of Origin will affect him too much. They should again do battle around to the left, and into the Miriam Vale cowboy's hand, and if they can repeat, it will give the Maroons a massive boost heading into half-time.

Round 2 Matchups

Zane Hall (QLD) on 991 BJ (K3F – Farley Bucking Bulls/Mead)

I really like Halls matchup in the opening round with Midnight Special, but I thought I would look at his Round 2 draw. BJ is yet to be ridden on tour and turned in event high bull scores of 42.60 and 43.30 at Gippsland Meatstock and the Nowra Invitational. He is strong leaving the chutes and turns back to the left with plenty of speed and kick. We haven’t really seen a top left-handed rider have a crack at him yet, and that is why I am looking forward to this matchup. The Athol cowboy hasn’t had too many favourable matchups lately, so he will be hungry to convert this one into some massive numbers.

Keny Roger de Oliveira (NSW) on 214 Asmodeus (Swain Cattle Company)

The Brazilian veteran has put together an outstanding early season run, winning the Farmworld Touring Pro and finishing runner-up at four other tour stops with a riding percentage of 80%. Asmodeus looks a pretty good draw for him. This bull has been ridden in his last two outs for scores of 83.80 and 82.70 points, and he can turn back in either direction, with a flattish action but rotates at a decent pace. If he chooses to turn back to the left and into Oliveira's riding hand, we can expect to see a score. However, if the bull decides to turn back to the right, then it is more of a flip of the coin.

Kelsey Pavlou (QLD) on 108 Cash Club (Swain Cattle Company)

Pavlou is another cowboy that has had a chequered path through the last few months of competition. He has faced a lot of bulls that have turned back away from his hand and received a lot of re-rides, but he has still managed to string together a run of five straight top 10 finishes. Cash Club has been covered only twice in a dozen outs, with the average mark sitting at 83.15 points. He generally prefers to turn back to the right, but he has gone up against plenty of left-handed riders so far in his career, so I will be interested to see how the right-handed Toora bull rider fares.

Lachlan Slade (NSW) on N265 MSG Locating Filthy Rich (Lazy G Bucking Bulls)

This rematch will lead off the final section of the round, and it could play a pivotal role in the makeup of the Bonus Round. These two met at Armidale last season, where the bull got the nod in 7.10 seconds, although Slade may have misjudged the time and opened his hand a little early. Filthy Rich has been on tour for a few years now and most riders know what he is about, so we see many cowboys make it through to the second half of the 8-seconds. He has allowed eight scores, with five of those going the way of right-handed riders, at a success rate of over 25%. He will turn back to the right and into the Tamworth cowboy's hand, with a score north of 86 points probable.

Clint Glass (NSW) on 123 Flying Gollan (TnR Bucking Bulls/Bayliss/Berry/ Clipperton/Starling/Wighton)

Flying Gollan has put together five consistent trips to begin his PBR career, so I think we can trust that he will continue to produce similar outs for the moment. He has turned back to the right on each occasion and does have a bit of forward movement to his action that keeps the cowboys busy. Sam Woodall owns the only qualified ride recorded, awarded 85.90 points and a round win at Sydney Meatstock. Glass will be hoping to replicate that performance here and add a late score to the Blues total. The Willow Tree veteran has been building into his year, picking up a cheque at four of his last six events, and this looks to be a fantastic opportunity to continue building that momentum.

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