Jordan Mailata is now the toast of the country after becoming the latest Australian to make it to the Super Bowl but when he was a kid it was his dream to make it in rugby league.
Mailata is set to be the third Australian to play in the NFL’s most-anticipated event after his team, the Philadelphia Eagles, won 31-7 over the San Francisco 49ers. He’s clearly a remarkable athlete, yet according to former Rabbitohs premiership coach Michael Maguire, he was unlikely to make it in the NRL.
Mailata is one of Australia’s best paid sports stars after signing an $87 million contract with the Eagles but about six years ago, the former Rabbitohs forward was struggling to transition from promising rugby league junior to NRL player. He was on a paltry contract of just $2000, which could have been elevated to $5000 through incentives.
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“His dream was to play rugby league. He was definitely not heading to the NFL in the time that I had him,” Maguire told Radio 2GB.
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“He was too big (to play NRL). He came in at 150-odd kilos and got himself down to around 130kg.
“I remember talking to his manager Chris Orr and they did a lot to get him over there. Jordan just wanted to play rugby league and we basically said ‘Mate you’re too big’ (and) now he’s gone on to do some amazing things.
“When he arrived at Souths he was 150-something kilos. I said to him, ‘There’s probably a player in Melbourne, Nelson Asofa Solomona, he’s running at 130, I reckon if we could get you down to that size we can move you around the park.’
“To his credit Jordan got himself down to the 130s but there was a lot of work that he needed to do. I remember going to the gym early and he’d be there at 6 in the morning trying to burn the size but I think it was a natural place for him to end up at the NFL.”
Maguire said even though Mailata’s size got in the way of his aerobic ability to move up and down the field, his power was never doubted.
“Moving backwards and forwards was a tough one for him because of his height and size,” Maguire said.
“But I’ll never forget watching a game (when) he was playing reserve grade at Redfern. He ran through once, scored a try and ran the length carrying about four or five players.”
Even though Mailata was down the chart with NRL types, a league with a $317 million salary cap this year was more than ready to take a punt on a physically gifted athlete who came with no baggage.
While most collegiate players had a leg up on Mailata in terms of knowledge of the game, the plus side was he came with no bad habits, and could undertake all the teachings of one of the most successful offensive line coaches in the league in Jeff Stoutland.
Mailata makes 53-man roster in Philadelphia
So on the third day of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Eagles traded up in the seventh round to select him with the 233rd pick, out of a total of 259. Former players say the NFL stands for “Not For Long” due to the competitive and fierce nature of the game. Players are chewed up in an instant and spat out only for the next young buck to take their place.
Mailata had to learn the offensive playbook while fighting tooth and nail within his own team just to get a look in. Not only did he do that, scoring a massive contract on the way, he’s become one of the premier left tackles in the game on an offensive line touted for its effectiveness in both run and pass protection schemes.
On Monday morning, Mailata’s Eagles went up against arguably the best defensive player in the league this season, 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, and the former Bankstown Bull withstood the test, keeping Bosa to four tackles and no sacks.
“I think he only got his hands on one of those footballs at age 20. It’s like learning a whole new language that NFL, isn’t it?” his former rugby league coach at the Bulls, Richard Kairouz, told Nine’s Today.
“So the college players would obviously have a massive advantage because they have been playing it for years through the school system, the high school system, and then you get Jordan who has never touched an NFL ball in his life and he does what he does.”
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