Former South Sydney junior Jordan Mailata has booked a spot in this year’s Super Bowl after helping the Philadelphia Eagles win the NFC Championship trophy.
The Eagles beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday (Monday morning AEDT) to seal their place at Super Bowl LVII in Arizona on February 12. They will face the winners of the AFC Championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals.
Philadelphia offensive tackle Jordan Mailata. Inset, the Australian playing a role in one of the Eagles’ touchdowns against the 49ers.Credit:AP, Fox
Mailata, who is from Bankstown and grew up playing rugby league, has made more than 40 NFL appearances since joining the Eagles in 2018. The offensive tackle signed an updated four-year, $US64 million contract in 2021.
In 2014, Mailata fainted during pre-season training with the Canterbury Bulldogs under-18s due to a heart condition. He fully recovered but in 2017, due to concerns about his stamina in rugby league, Souths offered him only a one-year deal to play for feeder team North Sydney, which he turned down.
Jalen Hurts bagged one of Philadelphia’s four rushing touchdowns as the Eagles soared into the Super Bowl, forcing both of San Francisco’s quarterbacks out of the game with injuries.
The Eagles, who won the Super Bowl five years ago with a different coach and quarterback, will try to do it again behind the formidable duo of Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni.
Miles Sanders ran for two touchdowns and linebacker Haason Redick made the hit that forced 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy out of the game with an elbow injury. Redick also recovered a fumble by Purdy’s replacement, Josh Johnson, who later suffered a concussion.
That forced Purdy back into the game, but his injury was clearly a factor as the 49ers, who also had an Australian in their ranks – punter Mitch Wishnowsky from Western Australia – all but gave up on throwing the ball, even while trailing by multiple scores.
San Francisco’s bad luck at quarterback was finally too much to overcome as their 12-game winning streak ended. The Niners lost both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo to season-ending injuries, and Purdy — the final pick in April’s draft — lost as a starter for the first time.
Philadelphia, a city that has been starved for a championship now has its beloved Birds in the Super Bowl just three months after the Philadelphia Phillies reached the World Series.
with AP
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