Twenty- six-year-old Tully local Sam O’Connor and 24-year-old Ravenshoe lad Rohan Markham are known as a pair of pranksters by their fellow PBR mates, both of them always doing their best to inject a bit of fun and laughter into a place where fearless men are laying their lives on the line all for the eight second glory.
“I like to have a joke,” said O’Connor.
“Laughing helps you forget about how serious it all is. I try not to overthink things and just get the job done.”
But the second they climb the rails and strap themselves onto a one tonne bucking brute determined to get them the hell of its back, things get terrifyingly real and they man up to the task with dynamism.
Bred tough and with rodeo in their veins, when the gate bursts open and the bull bucks out into the arena these two light-hearted down-to-earth guys morph into courageous indomitable bull riders hell-bent on winning.
“It’s man verses bull, not man verses man,” said O’Connor.
“As long as one of us takes home some of the winnings we’re happy. We always watch out for each other and give advice when needed.”
Sam and Rohan work together mustering, are best mates, are traveling buddies who both love chasing the white lines with good old fashioned country music playing, and are there to support each other at every bull ride – showing the true meaning of comradery common in the world of PBR Australia.
“I can’t wait to buck it out in in front of a home crowd at the Cairns PBR. It’s my most anticipated ride of the year. I want to make my family and friends proud,” said Markham.
“It pumps me up even more, knowing my old mates from school and my family are in the crowd,” said O’Conner.
Having jumped on his first bull at 12, Sam O’Connor hasn’t looked back.
“My brother rode bulls and myuncle was a bull fighter. I thought it’d be fun to try it, and I’ve loved every second of bull riding since.”
With 2017 panning out to be his best year so far, O’Connor has got the taste for glory.
“I’m training harder than I ever have. Winning the Brendon Clarke invitational a couple of years back was the highlight of my career, and I want more of that feeling. I want to make the World Finals.”
Having spent 2 months at the beginning of 2017 at the legendary Ron Woodall’s property living in a humpy, O’Connor spent his time wisely learning from the ex bull rider on practice bulls. Sam’s favourite saying
“It’s not the push from behind, or the pull from the front, but the drive from within” sums up this likeable, determined, dedicated bloke perfectly.
Rohan Markham first jumped on a bull 7 years ago at the Laura Rodeo after being unknowingly nominated by his mates. It was a decision he regards as one of his best, bull riding now what he lives for.
“I used to watch my cousins bucking it out, and I thought they were all mad, but once I got my butt on a bull I understood why they loved it so much. You could say I’m addicted to the adrenaline rush of it now,” said Markham.
Having toured with the PBR for the past 3 years, Markham has shown his worth and stays steady in his achievements by consistently remaining amongst the cream of the crop. A recent 3-month PBR tour in the U.S has been the highlight of his bull-riding career.
He’s said to be the dark horse of the competition, and certainly one to watch. After being stomped on by one of the bucking bulls and sustaining a split liver at the Rockhampton PBR May 20, he’s eagerly waiting to see how long he’ll be sidelined for but has high hopes he will be strapping himself back in for the ride of his life at the Cairns PBR.
With iron wills and nerves of steel, these two Northern Cowboys are going to show their home crowd exactly how it’s done when they compete at the Cairns Convention centre on July 8 along with 20 other elite bull riders.