Meet the finalist in the 2022 ALPA National Young Auctioneers Competition

Nine contestants will vie for honour as the nation's best in the Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association (ALPA) National Young Auctioneers Competition being held during the Sydney Royal Show.

They come from each mainland state - two each from NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria and a sole entrant from Western Australia.

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For William his appearance in the national final will be as much about doing his utmost to woo the judges as it will be to broaden his network of contacts.

"I would like to thank everyone I have met since I started out from my first employers over in Armidale to my current employers in Inverell and to every single mentor who has taken me under their wing," he confided.

"This is something I am very much looking forward to. It's an exciting feeling and this will be my first time at the nationals."

William still counts himself lucky after stumbling across the industry through a school-based traineeship. "I became fixated on the work and everything has gone on from there," he said.

There is every likelihood Jake will be wide eyed but undaunted by the opportunity afforded him in the nationals. He is looking forward to his Sydney outing , saying it will be a "great opportunity" to raise his profile and to gain additional experience.

Jake has been in the industry for a bit over four years, starting out as a stockman at saleyards in Wagga before switching roles.

He enjoys meeting new, interesting people and the characters and is hellbent on honing his craft now and into the future.

"Now I have this great opportunity I want to repay the faith shown in my by RH Blake & Co at Wagga and Bob Watts, a cattle buyer " he said.

As Queensland's reigning state champion Corey has plenty riding on his shoulders. Liam Kirkwood, Ray White Townsville, carried maroon hopes in the 2021 national final and came up trumps and Corey is staring down the barrel of delivering back-to-back victories for the banana benders.

"Sydney Royal daunts me to an extent because it is huge but I have to take the experience on board. It will be great being in the national final because it will give me more exposure and what not," he said.

When Simon strides to the rostrum, picks up the mic and starts spruiking he promises to draw on any nervousness.

"At the end of the day it's about selling," he says matter-of-factly.

"If you are not nervous you probably don't care too much and I'm sure the whole thing will be a bit daunting.

"But nerves can be a good thing, I think, and I will be doing my best to put any nervousness to my advantage."

Runner-up in the Queensland leg of the competition, Simon views his finals appearance as an "exciting" chance and one to which he is looking forward.

"I will keep doing what I have done in the past before any of Queensland finals I have been lucky enough to be in and that's to keep selling and practising as much as I can," he added. "I sell weekly at Gracemere and going to Sydney will be really beneficial and competing on that stage will be great and to have this opportunity will be a fantastic experience."

Past experience on the national stage might hold Ben in good stead.

Being in Sydney last year for the national final left him with a better understanding of the competition and where he fits in the scheme of things.

"It's a great opportunity. I have been lucky enough to win the South Australian state final for the past two years and in 2021 I went to Sydney and it was a fantastic event," he said.

"Having been there before might make it a little easier this time. The little things like what to expect on the day, finding your way around and understanding what the judges are looking for are all lessons I learned."

Ben has been on the Elders team for five years and on the auctioneering side of the business for the past three.

It took Nathan only a day in the job to realise it was a defining moment.

Having been born and raised on a farm where his family run a Black Angus herd, he was well aware of the many opportunities lying in wait in the agricultural sector.

But not the one he found.

"I've been with Elders since I finished school and always wanted to be in the agricultural business," he recounted.

"I never considered this job going through school and when my boss offered me the job I did it for a day and realised there and then this was the job that I wanted to do for the rest of my life."

Nathan was the runner-up in the SA final and is looking forward to Sydney.

An honour is how Ryan regards his forthcoming trip to Sydney for the national finals of the Young Auctioneers Competition.

It will be an honour, he says, to represent Victoria and his employer on the biggest of stages.

"More exposure is good exposure," he said. "So I am really looking forward to this honour that's in front of me. We will be selling in front of a big crowd and a lot of people follow this competition."

Ryan sells up to three times a week, helping auction store cattle and also appearing at stud sales.

He says he has never enjoyed his job more than at present.

"I have been in the role for about five years and I have been exposed to quite a fair few saleyards and business dealings and I'm a bit more confident working as an agent and an auctioneer and on a personal level, too."

Ahead of his Sydney appointment Ryan has thanked his various mentors and others who have extended a helping hand and ALPA.

Josh can call on the past to help him through the national final after a previous appearance in the main game in 2021.

Since finishing runner-up in the state final to Victorian colleague Ryan Bajada, Josh confides his preparation is moving at a gradual pace.

"I haven't done a lot of preparation to this point in time but I have been there before so I sort of know what to expect," he said.

"After the last time I am aware of the size of the audience and the crowd and the atmosphere.

"It is a completely different game to what we are used to when selling generally and even in the Victorian state competition. I will get more into my preparation as we get closer (to the nationals)."

Appearing in the national finals will mean different things to the different contestants, especially for Peace.

Besides being the sole representative for his adopted state, the Sydney trip will be an eastern homecoming of sorts considering he hails from Tasmania where he runs a small herd of Murray Greys.

"I have been with Elders for a bit over three years and I will be doing it for quite a while," he said.

Pearce has an inkling the nationals will be good for his personal profile and a chance for him to thank countless people who have been in his corner.

"I reckon it will be as much about me getting more experience as it will be a chance to meet others in the business, definitely," he said.

He sells trade, fat, weaner and store cattle.

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