Queensland rallies late to defeat New South Wales in 2025 PBR Origin series opener

 

Team Queensland outlasted a brave Team New South Wales to win Game 1 of the 2025 PBR Origin Series in Newcastle on Saturday night.

 

The Maroons trailed the Blues by 87 points late in the second round of completion but produced the final three qualified rides of the night to storm home and win the opening contest by 578.75 to 418.50 points.

Queensland debutant Thomas Triplett (Bungundarra, QLD) and stalwart Kurt Shephard (Mareeba, QLD) were the stars for the Maroons, recording two rides a piece.

Triplett's two scores came in the long rounds aboard two rarely ridden bulls. In Round 1, he first put together a sensational 85-point ride on Charvez (Lazy G Bucking Bulls).

Despite riding with an injured riding hand, the young gun took full advantage of a re-ride opportunity to put the Queenslanders in front in the final out of Round 2, covering Haunted (Lazy G Bucking Bulls/ Pukallus Partnership) for 83 points.

Shephard gave his side the best possible start in the opening matchup, covering On Bail (Swain Cattle Company) for 84.0 points. He then hung tough to seal the win for Queensland with 81.50 points aboard Even Up (Morgys Cattle Company) in the Bonus Round.

Ultimately, five Maroons contributed to the team’s score. In the opening round, Macaulie Leather (Calliope, QLD) put together a 79.25-point ride away from his hand aboard Extra Fly (Morgys Cattle Company). Jack Keats (Cloncurry, QLD) combined with Crooked Intentions (Morgys Cattle Company/Wildcard Partnership) to add 82.75 points to the Maroons total mid-way through the second round. In the closing rides of the second long round, Ben Bode (Calliope, QLD) then made light work of Haymaker (MC Bucking Bulls) for 82.75 points.

Team Queensland coach Jared Borghero praised the character his team showed during their gritty win.

“I’m proud of all the boys, and to see young Triplett step up like he did and get on that last bull injured, it shows how much this Maroon jersey means to the boys, and this dynasty will continue for a long time.”

"The Blues gave us a bit of a scare, but it's a bit like the footy; we play for 80 minutes, and they only play for 60 minutes", he said.

“I was pretty confident we would get over the top of them in the end.”

For the Blues, it was another debut rider who excelled in front of a capacity Newcastle crowd. Brazilian Luan Crystian Camara (Sao Paulo, Brazil) set the Entertainment Centre alight twice, performing his signature backflip from the top of the fence on both occasions. His first score came aboard Jungle Full of Hillbillies (Diamond S Bucking Bulls) for 83.75 points. He then became the first rider to cover Stich Up (CF7 Bucking Bulls) with a flashy 84.25-point performance in Round 2.

It was another Brazilian talent on debut who produced the highest-marked ride of Origin I during the second round of competition. Matheus Lima Rodrigues (Sao Paulo, Brazil) showed plenty of hustle into his hand and became just the second bull rider to make the whistle aboard former PBR Australia Bucking Bull of the Year, Cattle King Roid Rage (Dittmann Bucking Bulls). The ride snapped the bull's 18-out buck-off streak and was awarded 87.25 points by the judges.

Veteran bull rider Clint Glass (Willow Tree, NSW) stood tall exactly when his team needed him the most late in the second round, replacing an injured teammate and converting Cracking Tins (MC Bucking Bulls) into 83.25 points to give the Blues the lead late in the second round. Jack Rowlandson (Oberon, NSW) extended that lead shortly after with a textbook 80-point ride aboard Blink 182 (MC Bucking Bulls).

Team New South Wales Coach Cody Heffernan was encouraged by his inexperienced team's effort.

“We came up just short tonight, but that’s alright," he said.

“We will go home, and the boys will work hard at it, and we will take this defeat and use it as motivation to turn it into a victory in Brisbane.”

Triplett and Camara shared the Individual Event Win honours after both riders finished the long rounds atop the event leaderboard with two scores totalling 168 points.

The ABBI High Marked Bull of the Event went to Mooseys Moto Moto (MJ Bucking Bulls/Keliher Bucking Bulls/McGuire Partnership) who was marked 43.50 points in the Bonus Round.

View the Full Results from Origin I and updated 2025 PBR Australian National Standings.

The series now moves to Brisbane for Game 2 on the 7th of June 2025, where Team Queensland will look to wrap up the series on home soil, and Team New South Wales will aim to extend the series to a third match in Sydney in July.

Stay tuned to PBRAustralia.com.au and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Australia) and Instagram (@PBRAustralia) for the latest results, news, stats and more.