Bull riding superstars converge for the richest bull ride in Australia
New South Wales bull riders are keen to upset the PBR AUSTRALIA Grand Finals this weekend in Townsville, with some of the nation's toughest contenders chasing glory in the dirt. Flying the flag for NSW are Clint Glass (Willow Tree and #3 in the country), Charlie Bailey (Oberon), Thomas Hudson (Singleton), Sam Woodall (Heyfield), Jack Rowlandson (Scone), Kelsey Pavlou (Tamworth), Lauchlan Waters (Gunnedah), and Tyson Smith (Bunnan). With seasoned riders and young guns alike in the mix, the NSW contingent is out to upset the Queensland dominance and bring the championship buckle south of the border.
Queensland will be out in force though, with a powerhouse line-up of homegrown riders chasing the gold buckle on home soil. Leading the charge is Mareeba's Kurt Shephard, who sits atop the national standings heading into the Finals. He'll be joined by fellow Queenslanders Brumby Brandenburg (Bloomsbury), Dan Ruhland (Mount Walker), Donnie Rutherford (Mount Isa), Thomas Triplett (Bungundarra), Caiden Sandilands (Rockhampton), Zane Hall (Athol), Bryn Francis (Moura), and Nash Mellers (Gracemere).
Riding on INVITATIONS, and in HUGE news, bull riding superstar and current No. 3 in the world, Clermont's Brady Fielder, returns from a sensational season in the USA, along with Warwick's Callum Miller, who sits inside the top 50 in the world. The three young Queensland bull riders drafted to the U.S. this year will also return - brothers Macaulie (24) and Boston Leather (20) from Calliope, and Bungundarra's Thomas Triplett (19). Together they all represent the state's incredible depth of talent in the sport, from rookies to returning international stars, all ready to keep the coveted championship buckle in Queensland hands.
THE BATTLE OF THE BRAZILIANS: It's not only internationals flying in for a shot at the top spot. Brazilian rider Alison Aguiar is currently #4 in Australia, and is bucking it out with countryman Luan Crystian Camara for the 2025 PBR Australia Rookie of the Year Award.
INTERNATIONALS RIDING IN TOWNSVILLE: One of the Iron Horses of international bull riding Rubens Barbosa will ride and thrill. Barbosa is a true legend of the arena. At 41 he's competed on over 900 PBR bulls with 339 qualified rides. He's accumulated over 15 PBR Unleash The Beast (UTB) event wins, 17 x 90+ point rides on the PBR Tour and was part of Team Brazil in the Global Cup. The last time he rode in Australia was five years ago; now he's back and wants buckles! Canada's current #2 rider, 29-year-old Jacob Gardner is also flying out to compete. He's been on 327 PBR Bulls with 127 qualified rides and one registered 90-point ride, and he wants more. Impressive Texan bull rider, 26-year-old Daniel Keeping, from the famed Texas Rattlers, joins them. His leaderboard stars 345 PBR bulls for 133 rides and 8+ 90-point registered rides. Missouri Thunder star, 29-year-old Andrew Alvidrez, is another Texan coming Down Under. He's been on 691 PBR bulls for 217 qualified rides, 15+ 90+ point rides and 28 event wins.
Making his debut in Townsville is acclaimed Rodeo Entertainer, Tennessee-born army veteran Kyle Lamon, who has dedicated his life to entertaining rodeo crowds across America. A former bull rider turned trick roper, Lamon swapped the chutes for the arena spotlight after the birth of his son, Kaysen.
THE LINE UP:
Kurt Shephard (Mareeba, QLD)
Luan Crystian Camara (Pereira Barreto, SP BRA)
Clint Glass (Willow Tree, NSW)
Alison Aguiar (Rio Branco, AC BRA)
Zane Hall (Athol, QLD)
Rylee Ward (Central Hawke's Bay, NZL)
Ben Bode (Calliope, QLD)
Diego Galdino (Várzea Paulista, SP BRA)
Tyson Smith (Walcha, NSW)
Bryn Francis (Moura, QLD)
Macaulie Leather (Calliope, QLD)
Caiden Sandilands (Rockhampton, QLD)
Thomas Triplett (Bungundarra, QLD)
Jack Rowlandson (Oberon, NSW)
Kelsey Pavlou (Toora, VIC)
Sam Woodall (Heywood, VIC)
Nash Mellers (Gracemere, QLD)
Thomas Hudson (Dungog, NSW)
Charlie Bailey (Oberon, NSW)
Donnie Rutherford (Mount Isa, QLD)
Dan Ruhland (Mount Walker, QLD)
Brumby Brandenburg (Bloomsbury, QLD)
Boston Leather (Calliope, QLD)
Lauchlan Waters (Oakbank, SA)
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Rubens Barbosa (Brazil)
Daniel Keeping (Texas, USA)
Jake Gardner (Canada)
Andrew Alvidrez (Texas, USA)
THE TOP BULLS:
On the bull side of the draw, it was another dominant showing last weekend for MURGAN's MJ and Keliher Bucking Bulls, with their duo Alpha Blokes Warden and Mooseys Moto Moto continuing their outstanding form.
MURGAN's MJ and Keliher Bucking Bulls "The Warden" claimed his ninth ABBI YETI High-Marked Bull of the Event Award of the season last weekend and has Townsville in his sight!
Protection Athletes for the Grand Finals were chosen by the riders and include Nick Wilson (NSW), Josh Birks (NSW), Eric Richardson (NSW) and Jared Borghero (QLD). Lead Judge this year is JJ Quintana from Texas. He's one of the key judges from the UTB Series in the USA, and the son of former World Champion John Quintana, who moved to Australia and became an icon in the cattle industry.
In total, 30 of the best bull riders from across Australia and the world will converge on Townsville to go head-to-head for Australia's most prestigious buckle and $150,000 in prize money. While Saturday night is sold out, Finals Friday promises a spectacular night of rides, with organisers urging fans to secure tickets now. Last year's PBR Australia Grand Finals didn't just deliver the action, it generated a serious boost to the Townsville economy. More than 10,000 spectators filled the stands, generating 11,352 visitor nights and over $3.98 million in overnight visitor spend. The total economic impact? A whopping $4.23 million.
PBR Australia Managing Director Glen Young said he was thrilled to see the momentum behind PBR Australia, the success of Australian riders, and the economic benefit brought to host cities and towns. "When we established this event back in 1999, the vision was always to grow it into one of the richest and most prestigious bull riding events in Australia," he said. "Today, with over $150,000 in prize money and a $100,000 championship bonus on the line, it's incredibly rewarding to see that vision come to life. What makes it truly special is the way the community has embraced the event year after year. Our world-class Aussies continue to take the USA by storm in the PBR – the biggest and most competitive bull riding competition in the world, and our Australian series is recognised as producing some of the best riders globally. Come the final weekend of October, all eyes will be on Townsville as Australia's best battle it out," Young said.
PBR AUSTRALIA GRAND FINALS
October 31 and November 1 in TOWNSVILLE, North Queensland
Tickets on sale PBR Australia — The Professional Bull Riders
The PBR Australia Monster Energy Tour Grand Finals is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.
ABOUT PBR AUSTRALIA
Professional Bull Riders (PBR) is one of the fastest-growing sports properties in the world, with tours across the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico. A subsidiary of TKO Group Holdings —which also owns UFC and WWE— has transformed bull riding into a premier international sport since its founding in 1992. The organisation features over 1,000 riders globally and hosts more than 200 events annually worldwide. In Australia, Professional Bull Riders Australia (PBRA) stages more than 20 events each year, attracting over 75,000 fans. PBRA showcases key events and tours such as the Monster Energy Tour, PBR Origin Series, and PBR Grand Finals, while also partnering with regional event organisers through the PBR Touring Pro Division. The organisation supports emerging talent through its Can-Am Junior Academy and serves as an international pathway to the United States circuit for both Junior and Open competition athletes.
