LAS VEGAS – Cliff Richardson received quite the phone call from 1998 World Champion Troy Dunn this week.
The head coach of Team Australia for the upcoming 2019 WinStar World Casino & Resort Global Cup USA on Feb. 9-10 in Arlington, Texas, was calling to inform Richardson that he was going to be his next selection to his squad.
This was not just any selection, though.
Dunn also let Richardson know that he will be the Team Australia captain for a second consecutive Global Cup.
“Like I have said about Cliff before, he brings so much more to the team then just his riding ability,” Dunn told PBR.com. “As the coach, Cliff is the guy I talk to the most regarding different team issues from how the guys are feeling to him knowing all the bulls. He has a great sense of responsibility and all the boys look up to and respect him.
“He is a solid man inside and out of the arena. This is why I will also name Cliff as captain.”
Team Australia came within 0.75 points of defending their home soil in Sydney this past June under the tutelage of Dunn and Richardson.
The second-place finish was the best for Australia during any PBR international bull riding competition.
“It’s a pretty big honor for Troy to ask me because every bull rider on our side earned their spot and they’re really good cowboys,” Richardson said. “I’m certainly not the most experienced. It’s a privilege to be the captain because there’s a lot of good guys on our side and I don’t know any more than them. But it’s pretty cool.”
That respect will only grow if Richardson can join Team Australia teammates No. 25 Nathan Burtenshaw and his own brother, Lachlan Richardson (No. 28), at the 2018 PBR World Finals on Wednesday.
Cliff is currently trying to defeat fellow international invites Fernando Henrique Novais (PBR Brazil), Brock Radford (PBR Canada) and Francisco Garcia Torres (PBR Mexico) for the international wild card for the World Finals.
Torres was the only rider of the four to earn a qualified ride in Round 1 of the Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour Finals Friday night. The two-time Mexican national champion rode Mr. Valentine for 86 points.
Richardson was bucked off in 4.66 seconds by He Reigns inside the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa.
The 27-year-old will likely need two qualified rides, and a buckoff by Torres, to have a shot at advancing to the World Finals as the international wild card.
Richardson could advance on one score if all three riders buck off in Round 2, and he rides King Richard for more than 86 points.
Richardson earned the PBR Australia international invite to the Velocity Tour Finals after No. 1 Australian Aaron Kleier turned down the opportunity for the second consecutive season.
The top finishing international invite will earn an automatic bid to the 2018 PBR World Finals on Nov. 7-11.
Fans can watch the conclusion of the Velocity Tour Finals exclusively on RidePass beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
Dunn told Richardson to ride loose this weekend and go after a bid at the World Finals.
“We had a good chat the other day when he rang me about the Global Cup,” Richardson said. “He just said to get amongst them and keep loose.”
Richardson is currently second in the PBR Australia standings and is having the best season of his career. His 30 qualified rides at all levels is a new personal best, as are his three victories, 11 Top-5 finishes and No. 44 world ranking.
Dunn has noticed Richardson turn it up a notch in the last year and a half.
“Cliff’s consistency over the last 18 months has really evolved,” Dunn said. “I think his work ethic has been a factor.”
Richardson is grateful to have the support and advice of a PBR legend like Dunn.
Dunn is the only Australian to have won a World Championship and World Finals event title. He is also one of three riders to have won the World Finals twice.
“He’s a guy I looked up to as a kid, and he’s gone the furthest of anyone in Australia in the sport, and everyone you talk to knows Troy Dunn at home, whether they’ve got anything to do with rodeo or not,” Richardson said. “And when I can go to my phone and give him a call, and talk to him for hours and hours, it’s not all about bull riding, just about anything really. To be able to do that with one of the best in the world of all time, it’s great.
“Any advice he gives you, you take it on board and see if it works.”
Richardson may not be the highest-ranked Australian in the world standings – that nod currently goes to Burtenshaw – but he has become one of the best riders in the Global Cup competition.
The Gresford, Australia, cowboy has only bucked off one bull in five attempts in two Global Cup appearances (Edmonton and Sydney).
Richardson said the image of Team Brazil celebrating in the Land Down Under, as well as their own disappointment, will have Team Australia ready to steal the American soil from the two Team USA squads.
“Well I’m sure it would be a good feeling to win on someone else’s soil and that will be the plan,” Richardson concluded.
First, though, it is time to go after that first World Finals appearance.
“I’ve still got to do my job on whatever bull they put underneath me,” Richardson said. “I’m going to try my guts out and whatever happens, happens.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko