Two big boppers from the Ledwith family's Kolindale stud in Western Australia took the strong wool Merino ram honours at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show.
The judge, Peter Hacker, Muckadilla, Queensland, gave the nod to the smaller ram, Kolindale 384, a home-bred sire who weighed around 160 kilograms.
He was 21.8 microns and had a 98.3 per cent comfort factor.
"Rams don't come much better than that," Kolindale stud principal Luke Ledwith said.
"He is perfectly made with real good, soft, lustrous wool; he is big and square."
Mr Hacker agreed, saying the 2-year-old winner was a big robust sheep with a magnificent fleece.
Kolindale's reserve champion at Bendigo was a Poll Merino, who weighed a whopping 169kg.
The Ledwiths mate around 7000 stud and commercial ewes on their property at Dudinin in the WA Wheatbelt.
READ MORE:
The Wells family's NSW Riverina stud, Willandra, took home the grand champion strong wool Merino ewe ribbon with an 18.5 micron, 14-month-old ewe.
Willandra 749, which came through the polled classes, was also junior champion ewe of the show and a member of Willandra's winning March shorn pairs team.
She is out of a daughter of Desmond, a Willandra-bred ram who has been enjoying widespread success.
She was sired by Wallaloo Park 422.
The reserve champion strong wool ewe was paraded by Norm Weir, Kerrilyn stud, Dunluce.