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LITTLE COWBOYS & BIG BUCKLES at AUSTRALIA'S RICHEST JUNIOR BULL RIDING FINALS ----- THIS WEEKEND AT TAMWORTH

2026 PBR Australia Can-Am Junior Academy Grand Finals

Key Facts:

THIS SATURDAY - PBR AUSTRALIA JUNIOR GRAND FINALS – FREE ENTRY, 12PM

Saturday 24 October: PBR Monster Energy Tour: Tamworth Iron Cowboy Invitational

• Venue: Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC), Tamworth, New South Wales
• Booking: PBR Tamworth Invitational Tickets

REGIONAL AND STATE MEDIA ANGLES: Vision and stills here

• THREE CHASING BACK-TO-BACK TITLES: Chase Berry (Gunnedah, NSW), Nash Goddard (Glendon Brook, NSW) and Chase Wieland (Gympie, QLD) are all chasing consecutive titles across their divisions.
• GUNNEDAH’s CHASE BERRY HAS ALREADY WON! He enter Junior Grand Finals with an unbeatable 95.5-point lead in the Junior division.
• THE BERRY BOYS – DOUBLE TROUBLE FROM GUNNEDAH: Brothers Chase and Bobby Berry are both among Australia's leading young bull riders.
• SINGLETON'S JUNIOR BULL RIDING ARMY: At least four young riders from Singleton and its immediate surrounds feature in the Finals standings — Clay Thomas (No.1 Pee Wee), Kaileb Hall (No.3 Pee Wee), Kaique Heffernan (equal No.6 Pee Wee) and Sonny Heffernan (No.3 Junior).
• TAMWORTH AND THE NEW ENGLAND ARE WELL REPRESENTED: Gunnedah brothers Chase and Bobby Berry; Barraba's Noah Lowe (No.2 Junior); Glendon Brook's Nash Goddard (No.3 Senior); Kootingal's Colby Clark (No.4 Senior); Bundarra's Kassedy Carlon (No.5 Senior); and Willow Tree's Cody Searle (equal No.7 Senior) and brothers Kyle Sternbeck and Cody Sternbeck from the Willow Tree.
• WILLOW TREE BROTHERS LEAD THE CHALLENGER SERIES: Kyle Sternbeck (76.5 points) and Cody Sternbeck (63 points), from the Willow Tree/Tamworth district, hold the No.1 and No.2 positions respectively in the Challenger Series.
• FROM CAPE YORK TO TAMWORTH: Carl Douglas Jnr will compete in the Junior division, travelling from Kowanyama in Far North Queensland's Gulf Country.
• ONE POINT SEPARATES THE SENIOR TITLE CONTENDERS: Gympie's Chase Wieland leads the Senior division on 75 points, with Boddington, Western Australia's Hunter Ross breathing down his neck on 74. With Nash Goddard third on 55.
• QUEENSLAND DOMINATES THE RISING STARS: The top three riders all hail from Queensland: Rex Walker (Miriam Vale, 74 points), Reece Lahiff (Moranbah, 61) and Trace Mellers (Gracemere, 60). Sarina's Ronan Miosge is also in the top six.

 

 

LITTLE COWBOYS & BIG BUCKLES at AUSTRALIA'S RICHEST JUNIOR BULL RIDING FINALS THIS WEEKEND

$29,000 on the line as Australia's best young bull riders descend on

Tamworth this weekend for the PBR Australia Junior Grand Finals

Vision and stills here

 

They might be young, the bulls are bucking and the stakes have never been higher: Australia's best young bull riders will descend on Tamworth this weekend for the 2026 PBR Australia Can-Am Junior Academy Grand Finals, where $29,000 in prizemoney and year-end bonuses will be on the line in what organisers describe as the richest junior bull riding finals in the country.

 

From Queensland to Western Australia, New South Wales and beyond, these young cowboys and cowgirls have spent the season travelling thousands of kilometres, climbing into the chutes and battling for every precious point to earn their place on Australian bull riding's biggest junior stage.

 

This year, the competition has gone international, with young New Zealand riders also crossing the Tasman to compete in the Australian junior circuit.

 

With $20,000 in event prizemoney and a further $9,000 in year-end bonuses, the Tamworth Finals represents a major investment in the future of Australian bull riding and the young athletes working their way towards the sport's elite ranks.

 

Across the Pee Wee, Junior, Senior and Rising Stars divisions, as well as the developing Challenger Series, the Finals will bring together some of the nation's most determined young riders, with national championship buckles, season honours and bragging rights on the line.

 

ONE POINT SEPARATES THE SENIOR LEADERS

The Senior division promises one of the most exciting championship battles of the weekend, with Gympie's Chase Wieland leading the standings on 75 points, just one point ahead of Western Australia's Hunter Ross, from Boddington, on 74.

 

Behind them sits Nash Goddard, from Glendon Brook in NSW, on 55 points, ensuring the championship remains a genuine contest heading into the final event.

 

The Pee Wee division is also tightly contested, with Singleton’s Clay Thomas leading on 66 points, ahead of Gunnedah’s Bobby Berry on 62.5 and Singleton’s Kaileb Hall on 55.5. In the Junior division, Chase Berry has been the standout performer of the season, amassing 95.5 points to establish a commanding lead over Barraba’s Noah Lowe on 51 and Singleton’s Sonny Heffernan on 46.

 

In the Rising Stars division, Queensland cowboys dominate the top of the leaderboard. Miriam Vale’s Rex Walker leads the charge on 74 points, ahead of Moranbah’s Reece Lahiff on 61 and Gracemere’s Trace Mellers on 60,  just one point separating second and third. NSW contender Billy Fogg sits fourth on 51, followed by Mac Haley on 48, while Sarina’s Ronan Miosge remains firmly in contention on 46 points after claiming victory on home-region dirt at Mackay last weekend.

 

Meanwhile, the Challenger Series, the important stepping stone between junior competition and the elite Monster Energy Tour, will see Willow Tree’s Kyle Sternbeck enter the Finals as the leading rider on 76.5 points, ahead of his brother Cody Sternbeck on 63.

 

PBR Australia Managing Director Glen Young said the Junior Academy had developed into a genuine national pathway for young bull riders.

 

"The growth of the Junior Academy has been extraordinary. We're seeing young riders travel from every corner of Australia to compete, and this year we've even had young New Zealand riders coming across the Tasman to test themselves against our best," Mr Young said. "Just like our professional riders, these kids have put in the miles. They've travelled huge distances, dealt with the pressure of competition and had to perform consistently throughout a gruelling season just to earn their place at the Grand Finals.”

 

"These aren't titles handed out for turning up. Whoever wins a year-end championship buckle has competed against the best young athletes in the country in their division, and to finish the season as Australia's No.1 is an enormous achievement.”

 

"With $20,000 in Finals prizemoney and another $9,000 in year-end bonuses, we're putting a serious investment behind junior bull riding. We believe this is the richest junior Grand Finals in Australia, and the level of competition reflects that.”

 

2026 PBR Australia Can-Am Junior Academy Grand Finals: LEADING CONTENDERS

 

PEE WEE

1. Clay Thomas — Singleton, NSW | 66 points
2. Bobby Berry — Gunnedah, NSW | 62.5
3. Kaileb Hall — Singleton, NSW | 55.5
4. Jackson Parish — Yarrawonga, VIC | 51
5. Jasper Wieland — Gympie, QLD | 27
6. Kaique Heffernan – Singleton, NSW | 24
7. Taelyn Brown – Dubbo, NSW | 24
8. Dawson McKenzie – Mitchells Flat, NSW  | 9

 

JUNIOR

1. Chase Berry — Gunnedah, NSW | 95.5 points
2. Noah Lowe — Barraba, NSW | 51
3. Sonny Heffernan — Singleton, NSW | 46
4. Rhylan Thompson — Whittingham, NSW | 38
5. Bailey Craig — Gunnedah, NSW | 33
6. Smiley Butler – Two Miles Flat, NSW | 21
7. Benji Provost  - Walcha, NSW | 19.5
8. Danny Kennedy – Kyogle, NSW | 19
9. Blake Abbott – Orange, NSW | 18
10. Carl Jnr Douglas – Kowanyama, QLD | 15
11. Levi Craig – Goulburn, NSW | 15

 

SENIOR

1. Chase Wieland — Gympie, QLD | 75 points
2. Hunter Ross — Boddington, WA | 74
3. Nash Goddard — Glendon Brook, NSW | 55
4. Colby Clark — Kootingal, NSW | 39
5. Kassedy Carlon — Bundarra, NSW | 35
6. Lachie Provost — Walcha, NSW | 25
7. Cody Searle — Willow Tree, NSW | 21
8. Jack Dredge — Malanda, QLD | 21
9. Darc Barber — Bulga, NSW | 16
10. Bailey George — Singleton, NSW | 15

 

RISING STARS

1. Rex Walker — Miriam Vale, QLD | 74 points
2. Reece Lahiff — Moranbah, QLD | 61
3. Trace Mellers — Gracemere, QLD | 60
4. Billy Fogg — Boorowa, NSW | 51
5. Mac Haley — Banana, QLD | 48
6. Ronan Miosge — Sarina, QLD | 46
7. Jordan Britt – Sawyers Gully, NSW | 45
8. Baylee Proctor — Brisbane, QLD | 25
9. Billy Kennedy — Kyogle, NSW | 9
10. Harry Armitage — Ropely, NSW | 3

 

CHALLENGER

1. Kyle Sternbeck — Willow Tree district, NSW | 76.5 points
2. Cody Sternbeck — Willow Tree district, NSW | 63
3. Travis Salam-Koolatah — Cairns, QLD | 30
4. Brayden Oddy — Cootamundra, NSW | 15
5. Trace Mellers — Gracemere, QLD | 13.5
6. Baylee Proctor — Brisbane, QLD | 12
7. Jaxsen Tremayne — Woodford, QLD | 12
8. Jordan Britt — Sawyers Gully, NSW | 9

 

THIS SATURDAY - PBR AUSTRALIA JUNIOR GRAND FINALS – FREE ENTRY, 12PM

Saturday 24 October: PBR Monster Energy Tour: Tamworth Iron Cowboy Invitational

• Venue: Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC), Tamworth, New South Wales
• Booking: PBR Tamworth Invitational Tickets

 

THEN - Friday 13 – Saturday 14 November: PBR Australia Grand Finals

• Venue: Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre, Townsville, Queensland
• Booking: PBR Australia Grand Finals Tickets

 

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. For more information, visit www.pbraustralia.com.au.

 

Contact details:

Kath Rose on 0416 291 493 or email [email protected]