sport news Aussie NFL star Jordan Mailata sheds tears of joy as his Philadelphia Eagles ... trends now
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Jordan Mailata's four-year journey from NRL reject to NFL star brought him to tears on Monday after he played a leading role in helping drive Philadelphia to a Super Bowl berth.
The western Sydney product once again did great work at his left tackle position as his Eagles thrashed the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 to book a date in the year's biggest game - and he couldn't contain his joy once the NFC Championship match was over.
All two metres and 166kg of the former South Sydney Rabbitohs player was shaking with joy as he wept and embraced his fiancee Niki Ikahihifo-Bender on the field shortly after full-time.
When a sideline reporter asked him when he first knew about the Super Bowl, the man mountain gave a very surprising answer.
'I first heard of the Super Bowl when Beyoncé was performing her halftime show, so shout-out to Beyoncé!' he said of the music superstar's routine in 2013.
Mailata couldn't contain his emotions after he was a key contributor to Philadelphia winning through to the Super Bowl
The 166kg, two-metre-tall former NRL reject soaked in the moment with his fiancee Niki Ikahihifo-Bender after the Eagles crushed San Francisco
Mailata also had a few choice words about his coach Nick Sirianni's decision to go for it on fourth down with the Eagles deep in their own territory just before halftime in what turned out to be a crucial gamble.
'I don't know how Sirianni walks around with the set of cojones that he has,' he said.
'That's crazy. How's the man walk around like that? Fourth down, in a big playoff game? Kudos to him. Big cojones.'
Mailata was praised by fans for throwing strong blocks during the big win, including a crucial effort on a
