Aussie NFL star Jordan Mailata sheds tears of joy as his Philadelphia Eagles make the Super Bowl
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Australian NFL star Jordan Mailata sheds tears of joy after playing a starring role in Philadelphia’s blowout victory over the 49ers to reach the Super Bowl, then gives Beyoncé a playful shoutout.
- Mailata made key contributions in NFC Championship win
- Aussie broke up with his fiancee after the match
- Revealed how Beyoncé helped him discover the NFL
Jordan Mailata’s four-year journey from NRL reject to NFL star brought him to tears Monday after he played a leadership role in helping Philadelphia to a Super Bowl berth.
The western Sydney product once again did a great job at left tackle as his Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 to book a date in the biggest game of the year, and he couldn’t contain his joy once time the NFC Championship game ended. .
The two-meter, 166kg former South Sydney Rabbitohs player trembled with joy as he cried and hugged his fiancee Niki Ikahihifo-Bender on the pitch shortly after full time.
When asked by a sideline reporter when he first learned about the Super Bowl, the mountain man gave a very surprising answer.
“I first heard about the Super Bowl when Beyoncé was doing her halftime show, so cheers to Beyoncé!” she told her about the music superstar routine in 2013.
Mailata couldn’t contain his emotions after he was a key contributor to Philadelphia’s Super Bowl win.
The 166kg, seven-foot-tall former NRL reject soaked up the moment with fiancée Niki Ikahihifo-Bender after the Eagles crushed San Francisco.
Mailata also had some choice words about his coach Nick Sirianni’s decision to go for fourth down with the Eagles deep in their own territory just before halftime in what turned out to be a crucial gamble.
“I don’t know how Sirianni walks with the balls he has,” he said.
That’s crazy. How come the man walks like this? Fourth down, in a big playoff game? Kudos to him. big balls
Mailata was praised by fans for throwing strong blocks during the big win, including a crucial effort on a touchdown run by Miles Sanders and another on a score by quarterback Jalen Hurts.
One fan on Twitter described the Australians’ rise from obscurity to the top of the sport as a ‘Hollywood movie in the making’, and they weren’t wrong.
The 25-year-old had never played a game of football when he was drafted by the Eagles in 2018 after spending years trying – and failing – to hold down a regular spot with NRL teams South Sydney and the Bulldogs.
The Australian revealed that he first learned about the NFL when he saw Beyoncé perform during the Super Bowl halftime show in 2013 (pictured)
To complicate matters, he was kept out of rugby league for 18 months when doctors discovered he had a heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which had to be corrected with surgery.
Once told to lose an unhealthy amount of weight to make it to the NRL, his manager Chris Orr suggested they put together a highlights package, and it found its way into the hands of NFL scouts.
Philadelphia’s current offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland, was immediately impressed, even though Mailata never wore a football helmet.
While acknowledging that it would take him some time to learn the finer points of blocking and football in general, pundits were impressed by his tremendous physique and sub-20 percent body fat percentage, and excellent speed and agility for his size.
It’s been an impressive rise through the ranks for Mailata, who is now only the second Australian named to play in a Super Bowl.
The former South Sydney Rabbitoh took a big risk when he left to pursue his dream in the United States, and it has paid off to the tune of $88 million.
After excelling at the NFL Draft Combine, Mailata was optimistic that a team could give him a chance as a draft player, and the Eagles did exactly that, drafting him in 2018.
He finally made his NFL debut on September 13, 2020 against Washington, after rookie Jack Driscoll went down. He then made his starting debut in week four, and has never looked back.
From week 11 until he finished his season with one game remaining thanks to a concussion, Mailata was among the top 15 offensive tacklers in the league.
Given that his spot on the left is probably the most important position on the grid outside of quarterback, it’s a phenomenal achievement, and the accolades have kept pouring in ever since.
Mailata signed a four-year contract worth up to $88 million last September in what would have probably been his proudest moment in the sport, until the final whistle blew and made Philadelphia’s appearance in the Super Bowl official. .
He will become the second Australian named to play in the NFL’s all-star game, after punter Ben Graham became the first in 2009.