09.18.26 - Feature
Hall Leads Charge into Orange as Gold Buckle Race Narrows
Championship points, Grand Finals positioning and crucial round wins are all on the line as the 2026 title race enters its final stretch.
By Josh Hanson
The PBR Australia Monster Energy Tour returns to the Central Tablelands of New South Wales this Saturday, 19 September, with Wade Park hosting the 2026 Orange Invitational.
Riders have watched many of these bulls buck multiple times over the last six months, so I think those cowboys who have been paying close attention will benefit the most this weekend.
The event will kick off with the Can-Am Junior Academy from 4:00 p.m. AEST, with Monster Energy Tour and Challenger Series action beginning at 7:00 p.m. AEST.
There don’t appear to be too many favourable matchups in the opening-round draw, but I still think the riders should be able to finish above the season-average riding percentage of 27.36%.
Things do get a bit tougher in the Championship Round, though there are still some nice draft picks for both left- and right-handed riders.
Event information and tickets are available from the PBR Australia website.
Download the Watch PBR Australia LIVE app to watch the 2026 Monster Energy Tour and the 2026 PBR Australia Grand Finals on your VR headset, mobile device, tablet, or cast to your TV. Visit watchvr.pbraustralia.com.au to secure your season pass.
Zane Hall continued his strong late-season charge, riding both of his bulls to win the 2026 Coffs Harbour Invitational with 167.90 points. The win is his sixth tour victory of the season, which pushes him back to No. 1 in the PBR Australian National Standings on 2,238 points, 35 points clear of reigning Australian Champion Kurt Shephard.
Sam Woodall finished runner-up, climbing to fourth in the title race, while Shephard placed third to limit the damage. Both riders finished with a 1-from-2 record on the night.
Hall Claims Coffs Harbour Crown to Regain No. 1 Ranking
Luan Crystian Camara went 2-for-2 at Wade Park last year to record his fourth event victory of the 2025 season and keep his National Championship hopes alive.
The 169-point aggregate score all but secured the Rookie of the Year title for the Brazilian rider.
Sharing second place on the night were Kelsey Pavlou and Charlie Bailey, who finished with 84.50 points each to push their way towards the top 20 in the National Standings and Grand Finals qualification.
View the latest PBR Australia Event Results.
Twenty-six riders will go head-to-head over two rounds of competition, with $20,000 in prize money up for grabs.
All cowboys will face a bull in Round 1, with the top twelve returning for the Championship Round draft. The rider with the highest aggregate score across both rounds will be crowned the event champion.
A maximum of 280 points will be available to any individual rider towards the 2026 PBR Australian National Standings. Each round winner will receive 40 points, and the event champion will receive 200 points.
View the updated 2026 PBR Australian National Standings.
Championship Points Running Out
Heading into this weekend, 2140 championship points remain up for grabs across the six remaining events in the 2026 season, leaving 34 riders still mathematically in the Gold Buckle race. After this week, that number could be halved, but realistically, it's likely to be just 3.
No. 4-ranked Sam Woodall trails leader Zane Hall by 1188 points, while No. 5-ranked Clint Glass trails by 1316.50 points.
To put that in perspective, Hall has earned 1349 points in his stellar run over the past six events, including four event wins. These riders will need to match that run.
How Close Is Close Enough?
Once we arrive in Townsville for the 2026 Grand Finals, riders will compete for double points, with just 720 points remaining on the board for any single cowboy across the four rounds of competition and aggregate.
At last season’s final event, a dominant Daniel Keeping earned 636 of those points, including his event title, two round wins, and two top-five round finishes. In 2024, Macaulie Leather would have earned 540 points on the current scale, with his event title and four top-six finishes.
So, I think riders with National Championship aspirations will need to be within 500 points of the leader to have an outside shot as we leave Clermont after the final regular-season event, or within 300 points to be firmly in the conversation.
View the full 2026 Monster Energy Orange Invitational Daysheet.
Clint Glass on 120 Honey Hole (Lazy G Bucking Bulls)
Glass made a nice bull ride away from his hand last weekend in Coffs Harbour, and he’s now collected a decent cheque over his last three tour starts. He gets a great chance to start his night off right here aboard Honey Hole, who has been a pretty good fit for right-handed riders. Tyson Smith was marked 84.60 points at Hawkesbury, and I think that is where the Willow Tree cowboy will be hoping to land. This bull keeps improving with each trip, but his pattern has remained fairly consistent, with a turn back to the right.
Jack Rowlandson on 805 Canadian Club (Maynes Bucking Bulls)
The Oberon bull rider is another cowboy who has converted at three straight events and is finding form late in the season. Canadian Club has been ridden twice in the last five trips, with Kurt Shephard owning both efforts, posting scores of 84.40 and 85.95 points. Fellow left-hander Thomas Hudson also took this bull to 6.85 seconds during the origin series, so I think the lefties are starting to take advantage of his solid tempo. If Rowlandson can land in the areas set by Shephard, he will get a fantastic pick in the Championship Round draft.
Zane Hall on 38 Cool Hand (Australian Western Sports)
Hall has ridden 12 of his last 15 bulls, and that momentum looks set to continue with a favourable matchup against Cool Hand. We haven’t seen too much of this bull on tour this season, but when we have, his trip has been fairly reliable. He fakes to the right before turning back to the left. That will put him into the Athol talent’s riding hand, but I don’t think it will matter too much what this bull does. Hall has been getting them done in both directions during his run, which might be the most impressive thing about it. Kurt Shephard was 84.50 points to win a round at Marrabel the last time we saw this bull ridden.
Kurt Shephard on 121 Coloured Past (Australian Western Sports)
Interesting matchup for the Mareeba veteran. Coloured Past was pitching a shutout until leftie Caiden Sandilands broke his streak at Adelaide, scoring 83.70 points. This bull has shown us a couple of different trips in his two seasons on tour, but they all begin with a spin to the right. He doesn’t always stick with it, though. We have seen him reverse back to the left, add forward movement or add some height to his action. Shephard hasn’t come up against too many straightforward bulls in the last few weeks, and this is another one he will need to fight hard to make the whistle aboard.
View the full Event Schedule and Ticket Information for the 2026 PBR Australia season.
For the latest results, news and stats, stay tuned to PBRAustralia.com.au, follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Australia), Instagram (@PBRAustralia) and TikTok (@PBRAustralia), and subscribe to @ProBullRidersAust on YouTube for event replays and highlights.