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They get tossed. They get bashed. They get chased by the most formidable of beasts. Danger from every angle. And they keep coming back for more. Such is the precarious, daring, thrill-seeking life of a bull rider.On Saturday night, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit came to Sydney, with Qudos Bank Arena -- usually the domain of concerts, functions and feet-on-the-ground sporting events -- transformed into a state-of-the-art rodeo ring for the Australian national finals.Cowboy hats -- the bigger the better -- were all the fashion. As were glistening belt buckles. Country and Western music had them dancing in the stands.The on-screen advertisements focused on welders and machine oil. And the smell of bulls hung in the air.Twenty-two riders from Australia, the United States and Brazil were also in the house with the aim to somehow stay on top of an assortment of bulls -- all with their own special names such as Red Rat, Rude Manners, Pistol Whip, Fox in Socks, Freak Show, Storm Boy, Hillbilly Deluxe and Devils Dance.As you watched over the next three hours -- arms and legs, hoofs and horns going in all directions -- you admired the competitors courage but kept wondering ... Why?What is the attraction of being relentlessly knocked about when on top of a wild, bucking bull, and then after falling or leaping off its back often having to confront a charging beast?The bull riders say its about adrenaline, the challenge, the excitement of trying to conquer the toughest of beasts. They revel in what appears to be a dangerous and lopsided contest.Among the competitors was 24-year-old Justin Paton, who hails from the small one pub, general store and two service stations Queensland country town of Nebo.?His intense passion for bull-riding, which has seen him the past two years be part of the PBR circuit in the United States, has led to a broken leg, a knee reconstruction, muscle tears, cartilage damage and a concussion.But Ive been lucky compared to a lot of people I know, Paton said. This is still something that I always wanted to do. I dreamed about it, but never really had the heart when I was a kid to give it a try. It used to scare me a bit first up, but I built up my courage.I got on my first poddy calf at a rodeo close to home when I was about 8. I hopped on my first bull when 15 or 16, and havent really looked back.Now it all revolves around staying on the bull for eight seconds so they register a score from the four judges.The rider receives a score out of 100, of which 50 of the points are allocated to how the bull performed and whether it provided a difficult or easy ride.Asked what he had to do to impress the judges, Paton said: Well, we have to stay on our bull to begin with.The judges normally start at looking at the bull, how much kick it has, what it does when it turns back, if it spins, how fast it is and so forth. It really depends on what the bull is doing. It also revolves around whether the bull rider is in control or not.Does that eight seconds feel like an eternity?It depends on how youre going with the bull, I guess. You might be having a pretty rough time, and youre thinking When is that buzzer going to go? Then there are other bulls you ride; you hear the buzzer go and you say to yourself: Im having too much fun. I dont want to get off.On Saturday night, Paton was among the leaders after two successful round rides.However, in the championship round, Enemies Everywhere flung him off early, enabling Brazilian Robinson Guedes to push ahead and win the title by virtue of being the only rider to successfully complete his ride three times.Guedes from Sao Paolo has been to Australian twice -- and won two national titles.An interpreter explained: Robinson likes Australia. He says: It is my type of herd.Then there is the fearless team of protection athletes, otherwise known as bull fighters or rodeo clowns.They have the toughest job of all, protecting the rider after they have finished their ride, and come to their rescue if they are hurt or in danger of being charged at.The bull will often go after the rider. The threat of serious injury is overwhelming. Even more so for anyone who is crazy enough to stand in the bulls way.The three-man protection team on Saturday night included Clint Kelly, an underground coal miner from central Queensland.He has had his fair share of injuries during his seven years bobbing and weaving in front of bulls, including a broken collarbone, and I was recently out of action for six weeks after breaking my jaw and some teeth.But I love it. Its good fun.You would think otherwise when watching graphic YouTube footage of Kelly at one PBR event where he was picked up and flung by a bull, and then charged at.Kelly survived that and many other testing moments.Yeah, you need a bit of heart to keep doing it, and also good cattle sense. We are there to distract the bull, which means getting in between the rider and the bull, and making ourselves an easier target.We have to make certain we get out safely as well, but that doesnt always happen. The plan is if anyone is going to be hit, its us.Kelly, a former rider, became a bull fighter by accident, taking up the role when several failed to turn up at a local Queensland bush rodeo.I was asked to give a hand, had a bit of a go at it, and liked it. I did it a few more times, and got hooked.On the circuit, you get to know a lot of the bulls, and they are not all the same. Some will go and look for the bull rider and try to hit him, or one of us, while others dont really want to be part of it, and instead look for the out gate.?You have to be prepared for anything.Their biggest fans are, not surprisingly, the bull riders.In my honest opinion, they dont get paid enough, Paton said. Theyve saved my hide plenty of times. Theyre essentially bodyguards and are jumping in front of bullets. The only thing is a bullet wont come back and get you again. A bull can.In the background are also compelling characters, including those who breed and supply the bulls to the PBR events, such as Jody Ruhland, who went to her first rodeo when just two weeks old.Her father, Darryl Doyle, was a rodeo rider, as was her husband Rick, until focusing on breeding commercial beef cattle and bucking bulls on the side on a 1200-hectare property at Mount Walker, west of Brisbane.The bulls become like your children. You dont like to let them out of your sight, or hand them over to someone else, Ruhland said.?The bulls have to qualify for an event the same way the riders do. There is a selection criteria. You cant just bring any bulls. They have to be bulls who are performing at their best.What they look for is a bull that kicks really well when it comes out of the chute, and also kicks high. Mostly they like bulls who turn back either way. They are looking for agility, speed, strength, all those things you look for in an athlete, I suppose.Jody, who provided five bulls for the Brisbane Last Cowboy Standing event the previous weekend, opted against bringing them to Sydney due to the long transport haul, but also because her focus was on getting the stadium ready for the event.As a member of the PBR production crew, Jody is involved in transforming an all-purpose arena into something resembling a country rodeo. It is an elaborate process.Around 250 tons of dirt, clay and sand is trucked in to provide the required surface. Bull pens, chutes and protection fences have also to be erected.And as soon as the last bull is out of there, we start pulling it all down. The crew usually finish up 9.30-10 a.m. the next morning. They go right through the night.Time was tight as the stadium less than 48 hours later had to be ready for something completely different -- a concert by The Cure.By that stage the riders were also well on their way to their next encounter with a raging bull.In Patons case, it is flying back to the United States for the PBR circuit.Ill be riding all over the place. The first couple of weeks Ill be up in the northern states, then traveling everywhere from Texas to Canada, California to New York City, Paton said.Endlessly pushing his body to the extreme. Yeah, but where else do you get paid to travel the world, and do what you like doing?Definitely a special breed. Wholesale Blue Jays Jerseys .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. Toronto Blue Jays Shirts . White came in fourth place in the event. He was the two-time defending gold medallist. The gold medal went to Swiss snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. Blue Jays Jerseys China .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. Blue Jays Jerseys 2020 . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL.With Zlatan Ibrahimovic close to joining Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, we look at what the pair have said about each other over the years. Sky Sports News HQ understands Uniteds executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and Ibrahimovics representatives are finalising terms on a one-year contract, with Mourinho determined to make the Sweden international his first marquee signing at Old Trafford.It would represent a blockbuster reunion for Mourinho and Ibrahimovic, who spent the 2008/09 season together at Inter Milan before the Swede moved to Pep Guardiolas Barcelona. What would Ibra bring? Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a huge star, but what would he add on the pitch? We take a in-depth look… The two personalities clashed at times but Ibrahimovic fired 25 goals as Mourinho steered Inter to the Serie A title, and they formed a strong bond during their time together. With a reunion on the cards, we look at what they have said about each other over the years…MOURINHO ON IBRAHIMOVICIn April 2014, Mourinho recalled an episode at Inter Milan when he refused to substitute an angry Ibrahimovic, who felt his team-mates werent helping him to score the goals he needed to win the Serie A Golden Boot. Ibrahimovic and Mourinho worked together at Inter Milan He was very angry and upset as he came at me. He was shouting, We are champions, I helped a lot to make you champions, now nobodys helping me. I want to [come off] now.But I pretended not to understand him. I said, What? What? Do you want a drink, do you want some water? and I threw him a bottle. I told him, Here, take a drink and go. A few minutes later he scored a beautiful goal.In the same interview, Mourinho admitted he had a special relationship with Ibrahimovic, whose dedication was as valuable as his quality at Inter.A player who gave me as much as Ibra will always be in my heart. He did a lot for Inter and Inter did a lot for him. I like seeing Ibra. I greet him whenever I get the chance to and I wish him all the best - except when he plays against me. He is very special, he is one of the best strikers in the world. Sky Sports News HQs Andy Burton explains the potential deal that would bring Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Manchester United It was not the first time Mourinho had sung Ibrahimovics praises. In the middle of the 2008/09 season, he described the Swede as a bigger talent than Cristiano Ronaldo.Ronaldo is a good player but he is certainly not the best. He deserved the Golden Ball award because his team won the Champions League and the Premier League. But, for me, Ibrahimovic is the best.Mourinho was less complimentary when explaining the decision to allow Ibrahimovic to join Barcelona a few months later.Inter had two possibilities, tell Ibrahimovic, Were not selling you, or take Etoo, plus Hleb on loan for a year for free, plus 50m euros. To me that seems like an incredible deal, a deal worth 100m euros, the deal of the summer. Kaka 70, Cristiano Ronaldo 96. For me this is worth 100m because Etoo is worth not even one euro less tthan Ibra.dddddddddddd I think its a pity for him when he finishes his career and he played in the most important countries in the world of football, and won the most important championships in the world of football, but he didnt play in the best league in the world. Jose Mourinho on Zlatan Ibrahimovic Ahead of Chelseas Champions League quarter-final with PSG in April 2014, Mourinho said it would be a shame if Ibrahimovic did not get the chance to play in the Premier League.I think he has to be where he is happy, and if hes happy in Paris then he has to stay. But at the same time I think its a pity for him when he finishes his career and he played in the most important countries in the world of football, and won the most important championships in the world of football, but he didnt play in the best league in the world and never won the best league in the world. Thats a pity.IBRAHIMOVIC ON MOURINHOIn an interview with French outlet Telefoot in March 2015, Ibrahimovic hinted that he would like to work with Mourinho again. We worked together for one year at Inter. The feeling was great between us and my only regret is that we were together for only one year.Ibrahimovic devoted plenty of his autobiography, I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to discussing his former coach. Jose Mourinho is a big star. The first time he met my partner Helena, he whispered to her, Helena, you have only one mission: feed Zlatan, let him sleep, keep him happy. The feeling was great between us and my only regret is that we were together for only one year. Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Jose Mourinho The Swede also used his autobiography to compare Mourinho to Guardiola, who he didnt see eye to eye with at Barcelona.That guy says whatever he wants. I like him. Hes the leader of his army. But he cares, too. He would text me all the time at Inter, wondering how I was doing. Hes the exact opposite of Pep Guardiola. If Mourinho lights up a room, Guardiola draws the curtains. Mourinho would become a guy I was basically willing to die for.On leaving Inter Milan to join Barcelona in 2009, Ibrahimovic said: No matter how happy I was going to Barca, it was sad to leave Mourinho. That guy is special.Ibrahimovic offered further insight into Mourinhos managerial techniques in Carlo Ancelottis recently published autobiography Quiet Leadership. Zlatan Ibrahimovic left Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season Mourinho is the disciplinarian. Everything with him is a mind game - he likes to manipulate. Such tricks were new for me - all the time doing one thing to get another thing, all the time triggering me. I like these games and it worked for me; I became top scorer under him and we won the league. The striker revealed how Mourinhos motivational techniques get the blood pumping before Inters games.The way Mourinho prepared for games was also new to me. I would get pumped up, believing the story he would feed us. I went through a lot of adrenaline when I played for him. It was like nothing was ever good enough. He gave and he took. Jose Mourinho knows how to treat a footballer, but Carlo knows how to treat a person.Ibrahimovic showed more admiration for Mourinho ahead of last seasons Champions League meeting with Chelsea - two months after his former managers sacking.I think everybody will miss Mourinho in the game. But I believe he will be back soon in football and if you are a little patient you will soon see him managing another club.Ibrahimovic was right about that - and it looks as though the Swede could soon join him at Old Trafford… Also See: United will sign Ibrahimovic What will Ibra bring? Transfer Centre Paper Talk ' ' '