COWBOYS from NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia are set to battle out for the bareback title in the Warwick Rodeo Australian Professional Rodeo Association National Finals in Queensland on October 24-27.
Tumbarumba (NSW) cowboy Ben Hall was the runaway winner of the pro tour title from Wandoan (Qld) star David Worsfold.
Hall won three times as much prize money in the season as Victorian star Cody Tyrrell who goes into the national finals in third place. Hall scored 80.5 points to win at the K Ranch Rodeo in New South Wales in early September so is in form.
Worsford has won twice as much prizemoney as Tyrrell which means cowboys ranked three to 15 have a lot of catching up to do at the national finals.
Competitors higher up the standings list have the advantage as they receive credit for their pro tour performances when they head to the finals.
Last year’s title winner Fred Osman will not be competing in the finals this year.
Worsford won the bareback titles in 2015 and 2016 and will take some beating. He is the only past winner in the field and won the final and aggregate at this year’s Mt Isa Rotary Rodeo.
Tyrrell might be in third place but had one of the best scoring rides of the season when he won the Corryong Man from Snowy River Rodeo in April with 85 points.
Two riders in the middle of the pro tour standings could make a charge for the title. NSW cowboy Brock Mulhall is seventh in the standings and one of the most experienced riders in the field.
SA and former NT rider Tom Willoughby is eighth and could surprise. Willoughby is one of the tough men of rodeo who compete in two rough stock and two timed events.
He goes into the final of steer wrestling in 10th place but missed the finals of his other two main events, bull ride and rope and tie.
The national finals will be held over four rounds. Competition is on four nights from Wednesday to Saturday of rodeo week in Warwick.
There is free admission to the first night of competition; rarely can spectators see the best in the sport in Australia for free. Admission will be charged for the last four days of the rodeo.
While the national finals will finish on the Saturday night, the Warwick Rodeo will go to Sunday afternoon. Finals of second division and junior events will be on the Sunday, October 28 at the Warwick Rodeo.
FINALS RANKINGS:
1 Ben Hall NSW
2 David Worsfold QLD
3 Cody Tyrrell VIC
4 Jack Kidd QLD
5 Strawbs Jones QLD
6 Tom Phibbs VIC
7 Brock Mulhall NSW
8 Tom Willoughby SA
9 Brodie Adams QLD
10 Bevan Brown QLD
11 Luke Higgins VIC
12 Tristan Braden QLD
13 Lukas Wilkinson QLD
