Calliope cowboys Macaulie and Boston Leather clean up at PBR Australia grand finals in Townsville
Calliope’s Boston Leather has done the unthinkable, claiming the 2024 PBR Australia bullriding title in his rookie year. Read what both Leather brothers had to say and watch some of the best rides.
Local Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Queensland cowboy Boston Leather has claimed the 2024 PBR Australia bullriding title in his rookie year after a thrilling grand final event in Townsville.
Leather only completed one of his four rides but it was enough to earn the overall title, finishing 123.85 points ahead of second place.
The 19-year-old also took out rookie of the year and $90k in prize money, with his older brother and 2023 champion Macaulie Leather winning the grand final to finish overall runner-up for the season.
Macaulie, 23, heralded his little brother a “superstar” after a whirlwind 12 months for the rookie bullrider.
“I’m super proud. He’s worked for it his whole life and I couldn’t be prouder. No one deserves it more and he’s a superstar in the making,” Macaulie said.
“He’s outstanding, from the time he was getting on claves I knew he’d be something special and he’s proved that to everyone all year.
“It’s unreal (in Townsville). You don’t really feel it when you’re on a bull, you don’t hear it, but you know when you step off and you’ve made a good ride – everyone’s hollering and there’s no quiet.”
The two cowboys from Calliope had terrific seasons and the younger brother entered the grand final with a commanding lead, however a poor showing in Townsville – finishing tied eleventh – was not the finish Boston was hoping for.
His final ride of the event was on Mr T from Dittmann Bucking Bulls, which secured the highest bull score of the round with a 44
“It’s pretty average at the moment, I didn’t do as well as I thought but oh well, I made it here so I’m pretty happy,” Boston said.
“I got on him (Mr T) about four times (this year) and got slapped every time. He’s a good bull and he deserves the title.
“Rookie of the year was good, I definitely didn’t think I’d be getting the Australian title but here we are.”
Boston now has his sights set on an overseas stint in America.
“I’ll probably take a little bit of a break and then I’ll be back strong next year and hopefully go to the US at some point,” he said.
“That’s probably the next big step. More money, more people watching you – it’s just a bigger stage.”
As to why Calliope seems to have such a high strike rate with outstanding bullriders, Macaulie suggested it could be due to the tight-knit cowboy community in the small Queensland town with a population barley cracking 5,000.
“If I could pinpoint it to anything I’d just say there’s a group of guys there that all want it and we push each other to be better and feed off each other,” Macaulie said.
“We all grew up together. Everyone else is really spread out and we’re probably the only group of guys from one spot in particular so that probably helps.”
PBR Australia strategic partnership manager Simon Mallory said he would be seeking out the Leather brothers at Saturday night’s afterparty.
“The Leather boys, I’m going to go find them at the bar – it’s their shout, I tell you. Combined, Macaulie got about 50-odd thousand and Boston … he’s sitting at like 90 grand,” Mallory said.
“It’s just a staggering amount of money that these Leather brothers have been able to produce tonight.
“There’s no better place to be for our grand final than Townsville. 25 years of bullriding here and the grand final is so awesome.
“The noise in this venue, sold-out Friday night, sold-out Saturday night, it doesn’t get better than that.”
Join the conversation
Victoria claims Country Champs double
Victoria has proven to be home to the most dominant cricketers in regional Australia after claiming the men’s and women’s Australian Country Cricket Championships. Here’s how it played out.
Read more
‘Emotional day’: Star filly Hi Barbie chases racing dream
Jennifer Acton’s filly will be racing for much more than just a share of the rich prize purse in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast on Saturday.
Read more