Local sheep have made a splash at the Sydney Royal this year, with a ram from C.T. Merriman & Son's Merrignee Merino and Poll Merino Stud taking out the Supreme Exhibit at the 2026 Sydney Royal Merino Sheep Show.

Merrignee M21539 also called 'Brocky 2' after his Show success was also awarded Supreme Merino Ram, Grand Champion Fine Wool Ram and Champion Fine Wool March Shorn Ram in the 2026 Sydney Royal show ring.

Merrignee's Charlie Merriman said it was a very exciting and rewarding for their fine wool ram, Merrignee M21539 from the “Brocky” family, to be awarded the Supreme Exhibit at the 2026 Sydney Royal Merino Sheep Show.

In the Production Class at Sydney, he was the Merino and Poll Merino Highest Scoring Ram and first in the Six Teeth and Over – Merino or Poll Merino Ram section, becoming the highest scoring Merino ram or ewe of the show.

While 'Brocky 2' had picked up a few accolades at the Show, his time in the spotlight wasn’t done as the next day he was entered in the Performance Class, where Merino sheep (both rams and ewes) are evaluated using objective measurements for both wool and carcase traits, rather than solely on visual appearance.

In these classes, the entered Merinos are shorn onsite so fleeces can be judged for their weight, crimp patterns and style.

Once shorn the Merinos are then judged on their commercial value to the meat trade (liveweight (LWT), eye muscle area (EMA) and fat depth).

All these figures are then combined with those measured before the show (e.g. micron and yield) to provide each Merino with a financial figure that is the combined total value of their annual wool production and carcass meat value.

'Brocky 2' had a total fleece weight of 17.2kgs at 16.5 microns, yielding 73.9%, and a total shorn bodyweight of 110kgs, giving him a total score of 601 points, well above the next nearest Merino entity.

"While it is tremendously pleasing to win these very hard to win competitions, the real pleasure of all these prizes is the validation of Merrignee’s breeding programmes by other Merino industry people who were invited to be judges at this year’s show," Mr Merriman said.

"To have a ram sashed with the Supreme Merino Exhibit broad ribbon and rosette go on to win the production competition through his fleece weight, fleece style and bodyweight alongside a structural assessment is a very pleasing outcome for all of us at Merrignee Merino and Poll Merino Stud."

Mr Merriman said production class results are very hard to argue with since they are based on objective measurements which are then added together to provide an overall value of each Merino, reflecting the ‘all purpose’ value of Merinos to producers.

"They are not estimated figures but actual, measured facts that will be passed on as genetic profitability through our Merrignee Stud to our clients Merino flocks" he said.

"Merrignee M25139, 'Brocky 2' has great cover all over, including his belly and legs, as shown by his fleece cutting 17.2kgs, with wonderful white, well nourished, soft handling 16.5-micron wool."

"Importantly, 'Brocky 2' has very good structure and great bone, allowing him to carry himself well, which was very evident when he was bare shorn as part of the Production Class," Mr Merriman said,

"'Brocky 2' has already been placed into the real world of commercial Merino sheep. He went out with 60 ewes in March 2025 as a two-tooth sire until around mid-April when he went into our show shed in preparation for competition."

Mr Merrimans said taking their sheep – from both their Merrignee (superfine to fine wool) and Koonwarra (fine to fine-medium wool) Merino and Poll Merino Stud’s – to shows and events such as this are important to them at C.T. Merriman & Son.

"These events provide Merino breeders, commercial operators and industry specialists with the opportunity to look, learn and compare stud generics on a regular basis," he said.

"Being able to inspect Merinos first-hand, to physically inspect them to see beyond their figures, makes attending these events very worthwhile."

"It has been really satisfying that both our studs have gone well at the 2026 Sydney Royal Merino Show, however we continuously maintain our focus on the future profitability of our Merino sheep and our clients’ flocks," he said.

Merrignee Merino and Poll Merino Stud took mainly March shorn sheep, while Koonwarra Merino and Poll Merino Stud presented mainly August shorn sheep.

Koonwarra also did well at the show, being awarded Champion Fine Wool August Shorn Merino Ram.

"This ram, KWA Magic 356, went on to compete with the March shorn rams, winning Reserve Grand Champion Fine Wool Merino Ram to Merrignee “Brocky 2”, the Supreme Exhibit, which is a great effort for an August shorn sheep<" Mr Merriman said.

He also won Champion August Shorn Merino and Poll Merino Ram of the show.

Koonwarra won two other broad ribbons, being Champion and Reserve Champion Fine Medium Wool August Shorn rams.

Next up in July for C.T. Merriman & Sons, will be the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo, where they will be taking both their Merino studs – Merrignee and Koonwarra.

In August they head to Hamilton Sheepvention with display teams for both studs, followed by the Rabobank National Sheep Show later in Dubbo.

The final industry event they will be travelling to in 2026 is the SWS Stud Merino Breeders Field Day at Harden Showgrounds on Tuesday 1 September with display teams for both studs.

"This is a great local event for Merino breeders, commercial operators and those interested in sheep and wool production with displays from 60 Merino and Poll Merino studs, presenting over 600 individual sheep, from across NSW, alongside commercial agriculture exhibitors, Merino wool products and a fashion parade presented by AWI," Mr Merriman said.