Bankstown boy Jordan Mailata created history as the first Australian to play in and win an NFL Super Bowl – but a serious heart condition almost derailed his athletic career before it began.

The Eagles enacted revenge on the Kansas City Chiefs following their defeat in the NFL showpiece back in 2023, sealing a dominant 40-22 victory at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Mailata has played a huge part in their journey to the Super Bowl this season, with the former Rabbitohs and Bulldogs star left speechless by his side’s heroics on Sunday.

‘It’s hard to explain how I’m feeling. I thought I was going to be bawling my eyes out,’ Mailata said.

‘So, what you see is what you get right now. Probably, when the cameras turn off and I go into that locker room, I might cry.

The enormous offensive tackle grew up dreaming of playing rugby league and caught the eyes of scouts from the Bulldogs NRL side and joined their under-18s program in 2014.

Jordan Mailata made history as the first Australian to play in and win an NFL Super Bowl

The hulking Bankstown boy grew up dreaming of playing rugby league in the NRL

At 17 Mailata collapsed at training and was rushed to hospital

However, tragedy nearly struck at 17 after the giant teenager collapsed during a preseason training session and was rushed to hospital. 

Mailata would be diagnosed with a heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome which required surgery to repair the upper and lower chambers of his heart.

Fortunately, he would return to the sport 18 months later and was subsequently offered a contract to play for the Rabbitohs, turning the deal down and instead pursuing a career in the NFL.

He made it into the NFL’s International Pathways Program and took to gridiron so well that he signed an $88million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 after excelling as their left tackle on the offensive line – one of the most important and difficult positions to play in the sport.

As for which game is the harder of the two, he makes it sound like it’s not even close, despite rugby league’s reputation as one of the roughest and most relentless contact sports in the world.

‘If you play [offensive] line and [defensive] line it’s tougher than rugby because the pads don’t do s***,’ he told the New Heights podcast run by his teammate Jason Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs star brother Travis, who is currently dating Taylor Swift.

‘When people are like, ‘You guys wear pads? You’re a bunch of p***ies’, [I say] what?

‘The bloody pad that goes on your chest is like, this thin, and you’re copping a f***ing helmet to the sternum.

Mailata diagnosed with a heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome which required surgery

While his hulking frame makes him ideally suited to playing one of the NFL’s most difficult positions, it ruled him out of making it to the very top of rugby league in Australia, even though he excelled in the sport

The Aussie star has surprised fans and experts at how well he picked up American football

‘That hurts, dude.’

Heading into this season, the man mountain signed another three-year $105million contract extension that includes a $31.8million signing bonus to remain in with Philadelphia until the end of 2028.

Jeff Stoutland, the offensive line coach for Philly, spoke of the Aussie star in glowing terms.

‘Let me just say this to you, Jordan Mailata is maybe the most unbelievable story in the history of the NFL,’ Stoutland told ESPN Australia.

‘From where he came from, for the amount that he knew about football to where he is today, it’s incredible.

‘He is a great leader, he is a great player, he understands the game.’

After the Super Bowl, Mailata was asked if he would follow in the footsteps of other famous Aussie sports stars and do a shoey for his fans, Mailata was blunt in response.

‘Absolutely not. Not in these shoes,’ he said while shaking his head.

The interview was cut short, with Mailata saying he had important business to attend to with his wife Niki Ikahihifo-Bender Mailata.

‘I’m on a time schedule you know, I’ve got to go shower you know … I’m taking my wife with me,’ Mailata said while laughing.