One-time North Queensland NRL winger Laitia Moceidreke will try and observe in Jordan Mailata’s footsteps, after quitting rugby league to strive his hand within the NFL.
Moceidreke was on Tuesday listed as one in all three Australians within the NFL’s 10-week Worldwide Participant Pathway (IPP) growth camp in Florida this season.
Wallabies flyer Jordan Petaia will even characteristic after being unveiled as one of many preliminary attendees final week, as will Queensland membership rugby participant Laki Tasi.
The event camp is identical one Mailata went by way of in 2018, earlier than being picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles as an offensive deal with.
Moceidreke’s story is similar to Mailata’s.
Jordan Petaia. (Photograph by Cameron Spencer/Getty Photographs)
They each went by way of Canterbury’s junior system earlier than transferring elsewhere, with Mailata taking part in prop in U20s at South Sydney.
Moceidreke performed one sport on the wing for the Cowboys late within the 2021 season, ending off a strive towards Parramatta, in his solely first-grade alternative.
He then moved to Newcastle, however couldn’t crack the Knights’ backline earlier than his growth deal on the membership expired.
The 24-year-old will trial as a decent finish or defensive finish, and has been offered on his pedigree by organisers together with his grandfather and father representing Fiji in athletics and rugby respectively.
Petaia will even trial as a decent finish, whereas Tasi is listed as an possibility within the offensive line.
Moceidreke, Petaia and Tasi will start the camp subsequent month, with solely 14 gamers from world wide accepted into the IPP.
New Zealand basketballer Nathaniel Salmon and Fijian rugby participant Jeneiro Wakeham are among the many others in this system.
Scouts from all 32 NFL golf equipment will attend the Professional Day in March, on the College of South Florida.
Some 41 worldwide gamers have signed with NFL groups because of this system, however solely six of these have ever claimed a spot on an lively roster.
Moceidreke’s former Cowboys teammate Valentine Holmes additionally went by way of the IPP, signing with the New York Jets’ follow squad in 2019.
Nonetheless he by no means performed an NFL sport, opting out of the system after a pre-season of restricted alternatives and returning to the NRL.
Laitia Moceidreke. (Photograph by Emily Barker/Getty Photographs)
Gold Coast VFL expertise Patrick Murtagh trod an identical path final 12 months, becoming a member of the Detroit Lions and the Jacksonville Jaguars out of the IPP.
However he was waived in August after he broke his ankle in coaching and didn’t play a sport.
Jarryd Hayne’s transfer to the NFL, the place he performed eight video games for the San Francisco 49ers, pre-dates the present program.
© AAP
