Reuters, MELBOURNE
Australia center Jordan Petaia yesterday confirmed that he is to step away from rugby union and bid to win a contract with an NFL team to pursue a childhood dream he shared with his father.
Petaia said he will join the NFL’s international pathway program (IPP) for next year and look to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Jordan Mailata, who made a successful switch from rugby league to join the Philadelphia Eagles.
“The decision to step away from rugby hasn’t been easy and one that took a great deal of consideration,” Petaia said on social media. “Thank you to the NFL IPP for giving me this once in a life time opportunity, I am very grateful and excited for the experience that lies ahead.”
Australia’s Jordan Petaia, top, is tackled during their Rugby World Cup match against Wales at OL Stadium in Lyon, France, on Sept. 24 last year.
Photo: Reuters
Petaia, who became Australia’s youngest player at a Rugby World Cup when he made his debut as a 19-year-old against Uruguay in 2019, has been capped 31 times for the Wallabies and played seven seasons for the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby.
He played much of his career as an outside back, but was preferred as a center by former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones.
However, the 24-year-old’s career has been blighted by injuries, including a shoulder problem that sidelined him for half the Super Rugby season this year and ruled him out of the Wallabies’ international season under new coach Joe Schmidt.
Petaia said he and his brother grew up watching the NFL with their father, who died in 2020 after a heart attack.
“I’m taking this opportunity on a dream I’ve had, not only for myself, but a dream I shared with my old man,” Petaia told the Sydney Morning Herald. “He’d be looking down and shouting at me to take the opportunity. I think I probably would have regretted it if I didn’t.”
Queensland supported Petaia’s decision, with coach Les Kiss calling him a “great Reds player.”
Petaia is to attend the live-in IMG Academy in Florida next month to fast-track his education in football.
