Former South Sydney Rabbitohs prospect Jordan Mailata has made history after winning the Super Bowl last night.
The 27-year-old has become the first ever Australian to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy after his Philadelphia Eagles caused an upset to beat reigning champions Kansas City Chiefs in the New Orleans Superdome.
Mailata had a stellar performance with the offensive lineman helping keep quarterback Jalen Hurts upright with Hurts bagging a rushing touchdown and securing the MVP award.
A key part of Philadelphia’s success has come from their infamous ‘Tush Push’, also known as the ‘Brotherly Shove’ in a play on words for the city nicknamed the city of brotherly love.
Philadelphia has become dominant at securing short-distance touchdowns with the team’s hulking offensive line, of which six-foot eight-inch tall Mailata is a part of, forcing a path for Hurts to sneak through.
A ‘Tush Push’ was how the Eagles scored their first touchdown last night as they went on to win 40-22 in a dominant performance that saw the former South Sydney Rabbitohs man make history.
Former South Sydney Rabbitohs man makes Super Bowl history
HISTORY MADE. 🇦🇺
Congratulations, @jordan_mailata! 👏 #SBLIX | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/ua3VtnTASk
— NFL Australia & NZ (@NFLAUNZ) February 10, 2025
Mailata was already somewhat of a history maker given his ability to transition from rugby league to American Football so seamlessly. The Australian featured a number of times for South Sydney Rabbitohs’ under 20s but left in pursuit of the American Dream.
It’s fair to say he has achieved it after signing a three-year contract worth a whopping $66 million and now becoming the first man from his country to win a Super Bowl.
One of the key reasons why Mailata left rugby league was the fact that he was deemed too tall, something that massively plays into his favour in the NFL and has seen him become one of the most dominant players at his position.
Incredibly, the offer that Mailata rejected was with South Sydney Rabbitohs’ reserve grade side and was worth just $5,000 but eight years on he’s made more money than he could ever spend and wrote his name into the history books.
Philadelphia’s offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland praised Mailata as he said: “Jordan Mailata is maybe the most unbelievable story in the history of the NFL.
“From where he came from, for the amount that he knew about football to where he is today, it’s incredible. He is a great leader, he is a great player, he understands the game.”
Mailata made it to the big game in 2023 but saw his Eagles side lost to Kansas City in a 38-35 thriller.
