Mailata is first Aussie to play in Super Bowl victory

[Pelican Press 0]

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Mailata is first Aussie to play in Super Bowl victory

Jordan Mailata is the first *********** to play in a Super Bowl victory with his Philadelphia Eagles upsetting Kansas City 40-22 in the NFL showpiece.

Mailata, the Sydney-born son of Samoan immigrants, was lauded for his influence in helping deny the Chiefs from becoming the first franchise to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

The first *********** to play in two Super Bowls gained some redemption on the Chiefs who beat his Eagles for the famed Vince Lombardi Trophy two years ago.

The 27-year-old, who played junior rugby league for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and had never played American football until drafted by the Eagles in 2018, is among four Australians to play in a Super Bowl.

But he’s the first to triumph with punters Ben Graham (Arizona, 2009), Mitch Wishnowsky (San Francisco, 2020) and Arryn Siposs, who was Mailata’s Eagles teammate two years ago, all losing.

Another *********** does have a Super Bowl ring: Jesse Williams was on the Seattle Seahawks’ roster in their 2014 triumph but didn’t play during the season because of a knee injury.

In the showcase fixture on Sunday night (Monday AEDT) at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, the Bankstown-born Mailata was hailed for his display as an offensive linesman.

“Jordan Mailata … he just covers them up, it’s like he just becomes night-time, he’s just like the moon, he just blocks out everything,” gushed Louis Riddick, a former NFL player, in commentary for ESPN.

The 2.03-metre tall, 166-kilogram Mailata helped the Eagles storm to a 24-0 halftime lead amid a horror showing from Kansas City’s megastar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was sacked three times and intercepted twice by the long break.

The nightmare for Mahomes, rated among the greatest quarterbacks ever, continued on resumption when sacked on consecutive plays for the second time in the game.

The Eagles soon added a field goal and another touchdown for an irretrievable 34-0 advantage before the Chiefs finally got on the scoreboard with a touchdown 34 seconds before the end of the third quarter.

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