EMERGING bull-riding stars, 13-year-old Kassedy Carlon from Bundarra, 10-year-old Chase Berry from Gunnedah and 16-year-old Liam Birks from Tamworth have been selected to represent New South Wales for the 2026 Professional Bull Riders Australia Monster Energy Origin Series’ junior teams.

Junior riders will compete at all three Origin events in Newcastle, Brisbane and Sydney, with teams of four selected from the 2025 PBR Australia Can-Am Junior Academy.

Aged between nine and 17, these rising stars will go head-to-head in one of the fiercest rivalries in Australian sport, just on a smaller, but no less determined, scale.

For 13-year-old Kassedy Carlon, this year marks his third time representing the Blues on bulls, making him the most experienced rider in the New South Wales junior line-up, a remarkable achievement for one so young.

Queensland’s team boasts Gympie brothers Chase and Jasper Wieland, with nine-year-old Jasper the youngest rider in the series.

Thirteen-year-old Kassedy Carlon, from Bundarra, this year marks his third time representing the Blues on bulls, making him the most experienced rider in the New South Wales junior line-up.

PBR Australia managing director Glen Young said the Queensland–New South Wales Origin rivalry is legendary.

“Nowhere is it tougher than in the PBR arena,” Young said.

“Wearing a blue or maroon jersey and riding for eight seconds brings a special kind of pride.

“Origin fever isn’t just for elite riders and NRL stars, these junior cowboys live and breathe it, too,” he said.

“The Can-Am Junior Academy is more than a ride or a series; it’s the breeding ground for the next generation of champions.

“These young athletes are born for this and represent the future of bull riding in Australia. Bringing them into the Origin Series gives them even more experience, this time riding bulls as a team,” Young said.

Origin 2026 begins in Newcastle on May 30, before heading to Brisbane on June 6, and culminating in Sydney at the TikTok Entertainment Centre on August 1.