- UBS smashes forecasts with $1.4 bn net profit
- Chinese EV giant BYD beats Tesla in quarterly revenue for first time
- US economic growth solid but below expectations as election nears
- Jurgen Klopp to target player welfare in Red Bull role
- Volkswagen sees 'painful' cost cuts ahead as profit plunges
- Spain races to save victims as floods kill 62
- Tuberculosis cases hit record high: WHO
- Bangladesh stumble to 38-4 in reply to mammoth South Africa total
- Volcanoes 'hidden source' of CO2 in past climate change: study
- Stocks falter, bitcoin close to record high
- Eurozone economy grows faster than expected
- Mediators to propose Gaza truce amid deadly Israeli strikes
- China's Hisense first sponsor of new Club World Cup
- Georgia prosecutors probe alleged election 'falsification'
- New Zealand's Ajaz 'emotional' on Mumbai return after perfect 10
- Germany dodges recession, posts surprise growth on spending boost
- Trump, Harris in frantic campaign push as US election nears
- De Zorzi out for 177 as S. Africa power to 527-6 against Bangladesh
- Worries for Japan economy after election shock
- Israel short on soldiers after year of war
- Volkswagen profit plunges on high costs, Chinese slump
- De Zorzi out for 177 as S.Africa power to 413-5 against Bangladesh
- 'CEO of supercute': Hello Kitty turns 50
- Australia head coach McDonald handed new deal until 2027
- Visual artist grabs 'decisive moment' to nurture Chad art scene
- Industrial slump leaves Germany on brink of recession
- 'I'm terrified': French auteur Audiard hits Oscars trail for 'Emilia Perez'
- New Indonesia defence chief harks back to dictator's rule
- In Tennessee, the despair of gun control advocates
- US economy's solid growth unlikely to register at ballot box
- 'A treasure': Japan's Ohtani a hometown hero win or lose in World Series
- Botswana votes with ruling party seeking to extend six decades of power
- Bitcoin close to record as cautious markets eye US election
- Hometown hero Volpe lives dream with grand slam for Yankees
- Rested relief pitchers please Roberts even after Dodgers defeat
- UK's Labour govt prepares to deliver decisive first budget
- Beijing files WTO complaint over EU's new taxes on Chinese EVs
- Volpe's grand slam helps Yankees avoid World Series sweep
- Taiwan battens down for Super Typhoon Kong-rey
- MotoGP world title in sight as Martin, Bagnaia set for Sepang duel
- 'New wave' as start-up sweeps up Thai ocean plastic
- Botswana votes with ruling party aiming to extend six decades of power
- How harmful are microplastics to human health?
- Are bioplastics really the wonder alternative to petro plastics?
- EU's extra tariffs of up to 35.3% on Chinese EVs angers Beijing
- Rumble in the Jungle remembered after 50 years
- Trump risks backlash with anti-trans ads targeting Harris
- Alzheimer's patient 'relieved' at Quebec's assisted suicide policy shift
- Who should get paid for nature's sequenced genes?
- Bodies found as torrential rains slam Spain
CMSD | -0.16% | 24.84 | $ | |
NGG | -1.35% | 65.12 | $ | |
BCE | -0.71% | 32.46 | $ | |
BCC | -5.3% | 131.64 | $ | |
SCS | -3.11% | 12.21 | $ | |
RIO | 0.6% | 66.58 | $ | |
BTI | -1.31% | 34.46 | $ | |
GSK | 0.76% | 38.17 | $ | |
BP | -5.76% | 29.36 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.65% | 24.57 | $ | |
RBGPF | 100% | 62.35 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0.55% | 7.25 | $ | |
JRI | -0.69% | 12.98 | $ | |
AZN | -1.05% | 75.22 | $ | |
VOD | -2.8% | 9.28 | $ | |
RELX | -0.52% | 47.91 | $ |
Mailata shows Rees-Zammit his NFL dream can be realised
When Wales and British Lions rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit arrived in Florida to begin his bid to make it into the NFL he was quickly given proof that his dream could be realised.
As soon as Rees-Zammit and the other class of 2024 at the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) program had checked in at the IMG Academy, Jordan Mailata, the Australian former rugby league player who reached the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2022 season, was in touch.
"The day we landed here, I had three or four texts from Jordan asking 'when can I meet the guys?'" says the NFL's head of the IPP James Cook.
"I told him, 'you are always welcome' and the next day he texted me back and said 'OK, my flights are booked, I am there next week'.
Offensive tackle Mailata is the most successful case of a player switching from rugby to the NFL and was named as a Pro Bowl alternate for the past two seasons.
The Australian kept his word and spent four days with the players, taking part in all their activities -- on the field and in the classroom.
"He was great with us, he taught us a lot, especially in the classroom, he went through his whole experience and we understood that he was sat here one day and then went on to do great things," Rees-Zammit told AFP in an interview.
"He was massive when it came to advice and because he came in early, we were able to use that advice and put it on the field," he added.
Englishman George Smith, who played second row for Coventry in English rugby and is looking to play as offensive tackle in the NFL, said the knowledge of Mailata's success led him to respond positively to the offer from the IPP.
"He was a real big influence in the whole decision to come out here. I watched him online and thought - yes, people can do this. Then I met him here and now he is someone who can I call, text, if I need any help. He's very passionate about it," he said.
- Intensive programme -
The players have ten weeks at the camp to get themselves ready for a March 20 'Pro Day' trial when NFL team staff will examine them and potentially offer them spots on their rosters.
Such a short time-frame makes for an intensive programme with players living on the campus and dedicating themselves to 12-hour days of activities.
As well as on-field drills, practice and gym sessions there is the all-important digestion of the complex rules of the game and samples of the kind of 'playbooks' they may be given by teams.
Cook says the key to the IPP's approach is to create NFL players without losing the special attributes that the athletes bring from other sports.
Rees-Zammit already has the ball-handling skills from playing as a winger at the highest level in rugby union but has been learning how to run the routes that wide-receivers use to get into open space for a catch.
But the staff are conscious that teams may have their own ideas of the best position for a player.
"We don't want to limit him and say 'you're just going to do this'....I think him being able to do a lot of things helps his case massively....when you have the elite level of speed, ball skills and awareness that he has, you want him to impact the game in every different way," said Cook.
Rees-Zammit says he has relished that approach.
"I think the main transferable skill from rugby is ball in hand. So playing that running back role it will be easier for me to transfer. Routes is completely different. So I have been learning that, learning running back as well and being heavily invested in special teams as well, because obviously rugby is played both sides of the ball.
"So being able to go downfield, put a shot on or punt return, like I would do as a winger, I think there are a lot of positions I can play, I am just excited to learn them all and see what happens," he said.
The coaching staffs from NFL clubs will descend on Florida later this month to see just how far Rees-Zammit and his classmates have progressed.
"I want a coach to look at me and be like, well, he can play multiple positions, he's not just a receiver, not just a running back and can play a lot of special teams positions.
"You can play a lot of roles within the offense because there are many players like that now," he said.
D.Kaufman--AMWN