THE best cowboys in NSW will come to Newcastle later this month in an effort to keep their hopes alive for a first Professional Bull Riders Australia Origin series win.
Queensland claimed victory in the first leg in Brisbane on Saturday, June 8, opening the door for another year of bragging rights - the Maroons have won every year since the competition started in 2019.
Four Hunter bull riders - including captain Lachlan Richardson - donned the blue uniform to represent NSW at the weekend.
Tamworth's Lachlan Slade posted the best score of the night (88.25), but it wasn't enough to get the Blues over the line.
Richardson said he hoped to leverage the home state advantage for the second round in Newcastle on June 22.
"It was a tough start," Richardson said.
"I think all the guys got some confidence in the last few sections, but we've now got two weeks to regroup.
"The boys are always keen, they're always hungry to ride bulls.
"There are just a few little things to work on and we're good to go."
Queensland captain Macaulie Leather said he was excited about the team's strong start to the series.
"The boys are a dominant crew, and they did their job and executed the plan perfectly," he said.
"The crowd always brings it every year in Brisbane and it's an incredible place to ride.
"We know our job, so we're just going to keep going at it for the next two rounds."
PBR Australia general manager Glen Young said it was great to see some of the new Origin riders step up to the plate on Saturday night, with seven newcomers making their debut across both teams.
"The Origin series is different from any normal individual event. It's great to see our riders come together in a team sport and rally each other on," he said.
"There was a lot of bull power on Saturday night, resulting in several buck-offs, which always makes for an interesting night.
"The Newcastle event has the potential to determine which team will take out the win of the series.
"We're looking forward to seeing if team Queensland can pull off another event win and secure their fifth Origin championship victory, or if team NSW will even the playing field and stay in the running for the title."
