In the first game of the 2026 PBR Origin Series, Team Queensland emerged victorious over Team New South Wales, nine-rides to eight, in front of a sold-out Newcastle Entertainment Centre crowd on Saturday night. 

The Blues took a narrow lead through the middle of the final round, but clutch rides from 2023 PBR Australian National Champion Macaulie Leather and rookie sensation Ethan Coster sealed the deal for the visitors. 

Entering the Bonus Round, Queensland held a seven-ride to six lead with an 83.85-point advantage, but it was the Blues who struck first through Kenny Roger de Oliveira. The Brazilian scored 85.15 points for his adopted state aboard Jack Black (K3F — Farley Bucking Bulls) to put the home side ahead on the leaderboard.

Calliope’s Macaulie Leather then produced one of the best rides of the night, covering Alcatraz (CF7 Bucking Bulls/Josh Pugh) for 86.25 points to put the Maroons ahead, handling the change of direction with ease. It was the third time the pair had matched up in a PBR Australia competition, and the third time that Leather had taken the ride the distance.

2025 series hero Sam Woodall looked to have done it again for New South Wales, producing a gem of a ride into his hand aboard Leather Jacket (TnR Bucking Bulls) that had the Newcastle crowd on their feet. The Heywood bull rider was marked 87.35 points, giving the Blues a narrow 2.4-point advantage on the Monster Energy Leaderboard, with just a handful of riders still to nod their head. 

But it was Queensland rookie Ethan Coster who stole the show, taking full advantage of a re-ride opportunity at the buzzer, with the Miriam Vale talent producing a textbook ride into his hand aboard G Shock (TnR Bucking Bulls). They were marked 84-points to tip the final score the Maroons way – 759.10 to 677.50.

Team Queensland now take a 1-nil advantage in the best-of-three series as the competition heads to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Saturday, June 6, 2026.

See the full results from the 2026 PBR Origin I — Newcastle.

Both teams shot out of the blocks, but it was New South Wales that led the competition at the end of Round 1 with a four-ride to three scoreline of 337.10–250.70.

Tumut’s Dylan Weir was first out for the Blues, and he converted his favourable chance aboard Dr Pepper (MC Bucking Bulls) for 82-points.

Queensland replied immediately with Boston Leather doing his job for 80.55 points against Blink 182 (MC Bucking Bulls). The team elected to keep the low score on the board despite being the Calliope cowboy being offered a re-ride option.

Oberon bull rider Jack Rowlandson was next out for the Blues, and he added 83.40 points to his teams total with a nice ride into his hand aboard Benny (Dittmann Bucking Bulls).

Soon after, Kurt Shephard put the Maroons back in front. He became only the third rider to cover Cohens Tequila (Dittmann Bucking Bulls), with the Mareeba cowboy moving to the top of the individual leaderboard with 85-points.

Maldon’s Toby Collins bested that mark, teaming up with Last Confession (Maynes Bucking Bulls) for 86.35 points, surviving a rough start to the ride to finish strong and post his round-winning score.

The Blues appeared to be in full control after Sam Woodall did his job for 85.35 points against Maltmans Juggernaut (Diamond S Bucking Bulls) to extend the lead to two scores. 

However, Macaulie Leather kept the Maroons afloat by combining with All The Rage (Diamond S Bucking Bulls) with 85.15 points riding into his hand. 

The bulls dominated the final six outs to close out the round.

The Maroons hit back hard in the initial stages of Round 2, as Boston Leather and Kurt Shephard secured qualified rides for their team.

Leather became the first cowboy to go 2-from-2 for the night, covering Uppercut (Maynes Bucking Bulls) riding away from his hand, bringing his team within 1.4 points of the Blues with 85 points.

Soon after, Shephard picked up 85.30 points for his ride aboard Gold Digger (K3F – Farley Bucking Bulls) and the Queenslanders were in back front. It was a sensational ride away from his hand that won him the second round and moved him to the top of the individual standings.

Keny Roger de Oliveira added his name to the leaderboard with a solid ride for the Blues into his hand against a familiar foe in Asmodeus (Swain Cattle Company) for 83.85 points to once again close the gap to just a single score.

Mount Isa talent Donnie Rutherfurd answered straight back for the Maroons, handling a mid-ride direction change from Midnight (MC Bucking Bulls) to add 83.90 points. 

As the mid-round break approached, Dungog cowboy Thomas Hudson was able to convert his re-ride opportunity against Ambush (CF7 Bucking Bulls) into 84.05 points, and the Blues were back in front – by the barest of margins – 505.00 to 504.90.

The bulls bucked off eleven straight riders as the pressure mounted on both sides, with Maroons young-gun Ethan Coster eventually able to land a blow, scoring 83.95 points on Hanging High (Swain Cattle Company) in his team's final trip.

Queensland finished the round on top with four-rides to two, making the score 588.85 – 505.00 their way heading into the Bonus Round.

View the latest PBR Australia news here.

Kurt Shephard picked up his third event win of the 2026 season, with an aggregate score of 170.30 points across the two long rounds. The result earned him 272 championship points, which extends his lead at the top of the National Standings out to almost 300 points.

After a strong win at Nowra two weeks ago, Boston Leather came in second at Newcastle with 165.55 points, moving him up one spot to eighth on the leaderboard.

With an 86.35-point third-place finish this weekend, Toby Collins made the biggest move in the National Standings this week. He went from 19th to 11th place.

Sam Woodall and Macaulie Leather rounded out the top 5 in Newcastle.

After converting his chances in Round 1 and the Bonus Round, Sam Woodall leads this year's $30,000 Cowboy of Origin competition with 172.70 points.

Macaulie Leather and Kurt Shephard are both nipping at his heels on 171.40 and 170.30 points respectively, with six rounds of competition remaining.

View the updated 2026 PBR Australian National Standings.

Dittmann Bucking Bulls and Stetson Nirvana collected their second YETI High Marked Bull of the Night award for the 2026 season. The bull was marked 43.55 points against Ben Bode in their opening round matchup, which lasted just 2.63 seconds.

Wetzel and Leather Jacket from Throsby and Russell Bucking Bulls filled the minor placings with bull scores of 42.55 and 42.50 points.

The riders had a great night, and they landed almost exactly where we thought they would pre-event. They completed 17-from-48 trips in Newcastle for a riding percentage of 35.41%, which sits well above the season average of 26.76%.

Next up for the cowboys is PBR Origin II – Brisbane. Can New South Wales fight back to force a decider? Or will Queensland wrap up the series in front of their home crowd?

View the full Event Schedule and Ticket Information for the 2026 PBR Australia season.

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