Sam Byers comes second in the 2026 Sports Shear Australia National Shearing and Woolhandling Championships

Sam Byers of Ross has climbed another rung to finish as runner-up in the 2026 Sports Shear Australia National Shearing and Woolhandling Championships which wrapped up on the weekend at the Warrnambool Showgrounds in Victoria. 

Finishing third last year, the gun shearer was on the podium again behind Victorian shearer Sam Mackrill who won his first-ever national shearing title.

The Tasmanian woolhandlers put on an outstanding display, proving they are among the sharpest and fastest finessers of fleece in the country. 

Victoria Lang captured the Senior National Title while Jess Whatley was the national runner-up in the highly prestigious Open Woolhandling final. 

Fresh off winning the state championship at the Campbell Town Show earlier in the year, Whatley carried her peak form into Warrnambool, missing out on the top spot by the narrowest of margins to Victoria's Tiff Collins.

Amelia Byers added to the state’s impressive haul by finishing second in the Senior division behind Lang, creating a spectacular 1–2 finish for Tasmania on the national stage.

Despite some challenging weather, the event was a massive success, showcasing the peak athletic skill and precision of Australia's finest shearers and woolhandlers.

Off the back of his consistent national form, Byers and national team captain Sam Bacon also proudly wore the green-and-gold for Australia, contributing heavily to the historic Trans-Tasman test match clean sweep against New Zealand.

The Trans-Tasman Test is a linked home and away event that involves teams competing in machine shearing, blade shearing and woolhandling with the best going on to the Golden Shears World Championships.

While Victoria dominated the Nationals, in the highly competitive overall state divisions, team Western Australia put on a masterful display to step up and claim the overall 2026 National Champion State Team trophy.

The state's young guns showed immense promise. Tom Matthews represented Tasmania brilliantly to finish fifth in the Novice Shearing Final, while Will Grey fought through a massive field of 69 competitors to make the final flight, finishing sixth in Intermediate Shearing.