sport news How Aussie stars Jordan Mailata, Daniel Faalele and Michael Dickson are ... trends now
Australian players who are making waves in the bright lights of the NFL will now be able to proudly sport their nation's flag on their helmets for the first time.
Eight players from Down Under will have an Australian flag sticker on their club's helmets for the next two weeks as part of the league's International Series: Michael Dickson, Mitch Wishnowsky, Jordan Mailata, Daniel Faalele, Adam Gotsis, Cameron Johnston, Arryn Siposs and Matt Leo.
Over 200 players from around the league have opted to wear a decal of the flag of another country on their helmets, alongside the American Stars and Stripes.
They just have to have lived in the country for at least two years, or have a parent or grandparent who was born there.
Aussie NFL stars Daniel Faalele (left) and Jordan Mailata (right) will be wearing Australian flag decals on their helmets over the next two weeks
All eight players spent their entire lives prior to their unlikely journey to the NFL in Australia, highlighting their enormous achievement in dominating in one of the world's biggest leagues despite only playing the game for a few years.
Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Jordan Mailata is undoubtedly the most high-profile of the lot; not only heralded as one of the league's top left tackles but also starring on the American version of hit reality show The Masked Singer.
The 203cm, 166kg offensive lineman - who played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs prior to making it big in the US - is thriving in one of the league's best offenses, in what many experts regard as the sport's second-most important position.
Originally from Bankstown in south-west Sydney, Mailata signed a whopping $86million contract last year after being drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL draft as an International recruit.
Wearing an Aussie flag on his helmet is a nice nod to just how far he has come.
'My mum, especially growing up, she worked full-time, six days a week, probably like 12 hours a day. My dad was a handyman, he worked two jobs; the bloke could fix anything,' he has previously said about his upbringing.
'If you really want to put all your eggs in a basket, do it, don't look back. I didn't want to fail my dad, didn't want to fail my last name and my family.'
Jordan Mailata with his parents before leaving Sydney for the US in January 2018
