Sport
6 March, 2026
Queensland riders shine at Beaudesert competition
QUEENSLAND riders dominated across two nights of competition at the PBR Monster Energy Beaudesert Invitational, with Mount Isa’s Donnie Rutherfurd leading the charge.
Rutherfurd went a flawless 3-for-3 to claim the buckle, the only cowboy to cover all three bulls. He sealed victory with a Championship Round ride to finish with an event aggregate score of 247.40 and 96 event points.
The Beaudesert Invitational marks his second event win of the 2026 season, following his triumph at the PBR Sandstone Point Touring Pro on 31 December. He now sits No. 2 in the National Standings with 532.50 points as he chases this year’s Gold Buckle and a place in the Queensland team for the Origin Series.
Queensland riders filled the podium, with Ethan Coster of Miriam Vale second on an event aggregate score of 160.50. Mareeba’s Kurt Shephard, the 2025 Gold Buckle champion, finished third with 154.80.
The YETI Bull of the Night honour went to Stetson Nirvana from Dittmann Bucking Bulls, which delivered a 43.50-point bull score.
With the first two-day Monster Energy Tour event of the season complete, the national leaderboard is beginning to take shape as riders push for selection in the Queensland and New South Wales teams for the PBR Origin arena later this year.
The current National Standings Top 5 are:
Zane Hall – Athol, QLD
Donnie Rutherfurd – Mount Isa, QLD
Kurt Shephard – Mareeba, QLD
Kelsey Pavlou – Toora, VIC
Fraser Babbington – Gisborne, NZ.
In the Challenger and Junior results, Queensland’s Taj Everingham of Bajool near Rockhampton claimed the first night buckle with a 79.50-point ride aboard Dirty Socks. He backed it up on Saturday night to win the Rising Stars division with a 74.10-point ride.
Other buckle winners included Kaileb Hall in the Pee Wee Division, Nate Wilson in the Junior Division, Hunter Ross in the Senior Division and Taj Everingham in Rising Stars.
The Monster Energy Tour continues in Nowra on 9 May, with tickets on sale this Friday 6 March for Nowra, Cairns, Melbourne and Adelaide. Grand Finals tickets go on sale 20 March.
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