Rothbury bull rider Jason O’Hearn will make his much-anticipated return to the ring at the PBR Brendon Clark Invitational at Newcastle Entertainment Centre this Saturday night.
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O’Hearn suffered a fractured skull at the World Finals in Las Vegas in October and hasn’t competed since.
He returned to Australia (after being based in the U.S. for the best part of two years) and has spent his time helping out at his parents’ fish and chip shop in Cessnock, and was surprised to receive the call that he had qualified for the Australia Cup Series.
“I only got the call about three or four weeks ago, I didn’t think I would have qualified but I had a good run last year and it carried over, so it was a good surprise,” he said.
In his 16 years on the professional bull riding circuit, O’Hearn has built a reputation as a quiet achiever, but one not to be dismissed.
He was named 2008 Cessnock City Sportsperson of the Year after taking out the Australian title and an international title in New Zealand.
He made the PBR World Finals in 2010 and was in the Australian team that came third at the Professional Bull Riders World Cup the same year.
He returned to Australia in 2011 and performed well, collecting about $20,000 in winnings, before returning to the United States for the World Cup finals where he suffered the horror injury.
O’Hearn said he’s “pretty keen” to get back on the bull on Saturday night, and hopes to return to the States next year.
“This year (with the injury) I’m behind the eight-ball because there’s only four months until the finals, so for now I’m just going to try and get back into the routine and then head back over next year to start fresh,” he said.
O’Hearn’s fellow Hunter riders Brendon Clark (the event’s namesake) and Ben Jones (the highest-ranked Australian on the world tour) are among the competitors at Saturday night’s round in Newcastle.
The Brendon Clark Invitational is a round of the 2012 PBR Australian Cup Series, which showcases 22 of the world’s best bull riders – or $4 million worth of cowboys.
The tour then heads north to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and returns south to Sydney’s Allphones Arena for the finale and 2012 National Finals on July 21.
Tickets to the Brendon Clark Invitational are available at ticketek.com.au or 132 849.
