Eagles star Jordan Mailata says it would “mean everything” to play an NFL game in Australia following reports Melbourne has won the right to host up to three matches starting next year.
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The NFL has taken matches across the world to the UK, Germany and Mexico, with Madrid to host a match involving the Miami Dolphins next season.
The sport has exploded in popularity in Australia thanks to increased television coverage as well as through fantasy leagues that ensure plenty of fans have one eye on games during work on Monday mornings.
That surge in popularity has been rewarded with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell tipped to confirm that the MCG will host a match in 2026 between Mailata’s Eagles and the LA Rams who met in the playoffs just last month.
But Sydney-siders aren’t happy with the snub, with former rugby league player Jimmy Smith fuming on his radio show.
“It says here that it’s at the MCG. That’s obviously ridiculous because you’re going to be 50 metres away from any action,” he declared.
“How on earth does Sydney miss out on this? What other advantage does Sydney need over Melbourne in hosting an NFL game in the next three years – and that’s just the start of the contract! They’ve been going to London for a decade, they’ll go to Germany for the rest of eternity!
“We don’t like to get political on this program but we will on this occasion. Chris Minns the Premier, you must take responsibility for this! John Graham, the tourism minister, your fingerprints have got to be all over it. And Steve Camper, the the sports minister, you are asleep at the wheel!
“The NFL didn’t say no to Australia, they said no to Sydney, and they said yes to Victoria, and Melbourne, at the MCG! What a miss.”
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Mailata is one of the NFL’s greatest success stories having gone from a hulking ball carrier for South Sydney in the under-20s to now being one of the highest-paid offensive tackles in the NFL.
He will become the first Australian to play in two Super Bowls when the Eagles face the Chiefs on Monday morning (Australian time), and he’s already looking forward to making history next year.
“It’d mean everything to bring a game back home,” he said at the main media day in New Orleans for the Super Bowl.
“It’d mean a lot to have a game back home, just for eyes and viewership.
“I really want this game to grow back home, so if we can bring a game back there to generate interest and keep the growth of the game going, that’d mean a lot to me.
“The best thing about football is that you can play at any size, at any height. I’m 6’8”, but there are guys on my team (who are a lot smaller).
“There are different heights and different sizes of every teammate of mine, and I think that’s what makes the sport beautiful.”
Mailata did a bit of everything at media day where he did impressions of Batman villain Bane, while he was also given a cookie from Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston.
But his focus is on beating the Chiefs who defeated the Eagles two years ago in the Super Bowl and are looking to become the first team in NFL history to win three titles in a row.
“I have plenty of motivation, but that’s not (one of them) to stop the three-peat,” he said, proud to be able to provide teammates Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts with the room they need to score touchdowns.
“I have plenty of motivation (outside of that), enough (for me).”
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