Michael Maguire reveals why Rabbitohs had ‘no choice’ but to ditch NFL superstar Jordan Mailata

Former South Sydney Rabbitohs manager Michael Maguire has revealed why the club “had no choice” but to release NFL superstar Jordan Mailata at the end of the 2017 season.

Mailata, 25, will play in the Super Bowl on February 13 for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Kansas City Chiefs in what has been an extraordinary sports journey.

The Bankstown Bulls rugby league junior, who weighs in at 166kg, was first on the books for the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2015 before launching to Redfern two years later.

His imposing size made the Eagles’ attacking tackler impossible to miss, but the frenetic pace of rugby league left club officials, including Maguire, doubting that he would eventually be a force in the NRL.

Speaking on The Ben Fordham Show, Maguire recalled his early dealings with Mailata, who was drafted into the NFL in 2018 despite never playing the sport before coming to American soil.

“I used to go into the (club’s) gym at 6am, and Jordan was always there, working incredibly hard, doing weights,” said the now senior consultant to the Canberra Raiders.

“He literally filled a hallway, he was that big…in pre-season[in 2017]he was 166kg.

“We felt he was too big for rugby league, we told him if he could get his weight down to around 130kg he could be like (Melbourne storm enforcer) Nelson Asofa-Solomona.”

Former South Sydney Rabbitohs manager Michael Maguire has revealed why the club “had no choice” but to release NFL superstar Jordan Mailata at the end of the 2017 season.

Mailata, 25, will play the Super Bowl on February 13 with the Philadelphia Eagles in what has been an extraordinary sports journey

“Unfortunately he couldn’t do it, so we recommended to his agent that he try another sport (like the NFL), which was a little more intermittent.”

Mailata played for the Rabbitohs’ under-20 team in New York in 2017, scoring eight tries in 12 appearances.

Next up was an all-or-nothing move to the US the following year, where current Philadelphia offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland was instantly impressed.

While acknowledging that it would take Mailata some time to learn the finer points of blocking and football in general, experts were impressed by his tremendous physique and sub-20 percent body fat percentage.

His excellent speed over 40 meters and agility for his size also worked in his favor.

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.

He finally made his NFL debut on September 13, 2020 against Washington, after rookie Jack Driscoll went down.

Mailta 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.

Mailata couldn’t contain his emotions after he was a key contributor to Philadelphia’s Super Bowl win.

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 166kg, seven-foot-tall former NRL reject soaked up the moment with fiancée Niki Ikahihifo-Bender after the Eagles crushed San Francisco.

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.

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 deal worth up to $88 million last September in what would have probably been his proudest moment in the sport, until the final whistle blew Monday and made Philadelphia’s appearance in the game official. superbowl.

He will be only the second Australian named to play in the NFL’s premier game, after punter Ben Graham became the first in 2009.

And where it all began with the Bankstown Bulls, their former coach Richard Kairouz still beams with pride.

“Jordan has come a long way, in the past, he was quite cumbersome and clunky,” he said.

‘As a junior manager you hope that one day your players will make it to the NRL… and a couple have.

“But getting to the Super Bowl, the biggest event on the planet, probably after the World Cup, is incredible.

‘We will definitely be watching. It probably brings the whole team together, the whole Bankstown Bulls team. And we will all see it together.