Brothers Brad and Craig Brown have always been involved in rodeo in Queensland – it just depends on which part of the bull you’re talking about.

The siblings, Brad a champion cowboy and Craig one of the best bull fighters in Queensland, were in the thick of the action at the Mitchell Rodeo on Saturday.

Mitchell has always been the brothers’ spiritual home, with both Brad and Craig playing for the Magpies several years ago before deciding to focus their attention on rodeo.

Brad, 26, currently holds the lead in the QRA Open Bull Ride rankings, thanks to a number of placings earlier this year, including a first place in Injune late last year.

After retiring from rugby league due to injury, Brad said rodeo is one of the joys in his life.

“I pretty much love everything about rodeo and Mitchell is always a great rodeo to go to,” he said.

“Everyone is so easy-going and it makes it a great atmosphere – it used to be on New Year’s Eve and that was always fun.”

Rodeo is not a sport without an element of danger, with getting ‘caught up’ one of the situations a rider doesn’t want to find himself in.

“You can get caught up when you don’t fall on the right side and trap your hand in,” he said.

But when he does find himself in some trouble, Brad said he can always count on Craig, last year’s QRA Bull Fighter of the Year, to help him out.

“He’ll be a pro, no matter whether it’s me or anyone else here.”

Craig said the key to being a good rodeo clown was to watch the rider and see how to help a situation.

“When the rider falls down on the wrong side, I have to find a spot on the bull to get up and pull the tail of their rope to release them,” he said.

“You get to know the stock being used and coming from a background in bull riding, I know how it goes for the riders out there.”

Rodeo isn’t only for the older riders, with plenty of youngsters trying their hand at the sport on Saturday.

Mitchell Rodeo Association president Geoff Lawson noted the size of the crowd, while also thanking the sponsors of this year’s event, as well as the stock suppliers.

“When you see a crowd like this in the afternoon, you know you’re going to get a good number later on,” he said.

For full results, see Friday’s Western Star.