Jordan Mailata #68 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates after beating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 to win Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome on February 09, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photo: AFP / Emilee Chinn
Jordan Mailata, helped the Philadelphia Eagles claim the Super Bowl with a 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday in New Orleans, making history by becoming the first Australian to win the title.
The 27-year-old, who has Samoan ancestry and New Zealand roots, told the media after he was lost for words following the historic win.
It was the Eagles second Super Bowl and Mailata's second appearance in the Super Bowl as well.
The first time he played in the grand final was in 2022, when the Eagles lost to the Chiefs..
Mailata was lauded for his influence in helping deny the Chiefs from becoming the first franchise to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
But he was dumbstruck when he faced the media after the victory, saying he did not have the right words to express his feelings.
"Nah I don't know, usually I always have the right words to say but I don't know what to say right now," he told ESPN.
"It's sur-real. Again just trying to find my role, just being there for my boys. What an amazing moment man."
However, he was able to offer some advise for youngsters who might want to emulate him, especially from the Pacific.
"I don't want to sound so philosophical," he told ESPN.
"Don't be afraid to dip your toes in the water. You gotta immerse yourself in whatever you want to do, drown yourself and learn how to swim."
ESPN said Mailata was the first out of four Australians to win the title - three others - Ben Graham (Arizona, 2009), Mitch Wishnowsky (San Francisco, 2020) and Arryn Siposs, who was Mailata's Eagles teammate two years ago, all losing.
While another Australian does have a Super Bowl ring in Jesse Williams, who was on the Seattle Seahawks' roster in their 2014 triumph, the player did not play during the season because of a knee injury.
At the 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," Louis Riddick, a former NFL player, in commentary for ESPN, said.
The Guardian reported that the 2.03-metre tall, 166-kilogram Mailata's tireless work in the offensive line also allowed the Eagles plenty of time to stamp their authority on the game.
"You have got to want to be more physical," Mailata told Fox Sports NFL. "That was a great defence we were going up against so we knew we had to answer that call. And that ain't easy, you have to have the want to."
"It's a completely new team, that's the beauty about it, the culture that we built early on.
"We left that baggage of '22 because we didn't want to bring that to the new season."
With Donald Trump becoming the first US president in office to attend a Super Bowl, the Eagles outplayed Kansas City in every facet, ESPN reported.
The Chiefs wanted to become the third team in history to win three-straight NFL championships and the first to three-peat in the Super Bowl era.
But they were completely overwhelmed by Philadelphia.
Mailata, who last April signed a three-year, $US66 million ($AU105 million) contract extension, including a $US20 million ($A32 million) signing bonus, to remain with the Eagles through to 2028, was a big part of the Eagles play to stop the Chiefs.
While the former champions came back strongly in the last quarter, they were not able to catch up as Mailata and his men stood their ground.
