Aussies Punting their way to the top
From college football to the NFL, Australian football players are making the switch from a Sherrin to the pigskin, in hopes of making an impact in the U.S.
Following the successes of Australian athletes Joe McGuire, Mitch Wishnowsky and Michael Dickson, punting has become a pursuit more Aussies are undertaking.
In February, West Australian Rohan Macneill signed with Wake Forest University.
A division 1 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college in North Carolina.
Rohan was thrilled about the signing as “it was all a completely foreign concept.”
“It didn’t really feel like it was really going to happen until I was on that plane over.”
The Pathway
Rohan accredits the progress he has made as a punter to Prokick Australia.
The Prokick program is located all around Australia designed for aspiring Aussie punters.
These athletes train two-to-four times per week in the hope of being selected by college scouts.
“They ran a strong structured program when I was there which helped me get to the spot I am now” Rohan added.
Aspiring punter, Julian Maceri, is currently part of the Prokick program in Melbourne.
Julian says he “had to move to Melbourne because that’s where all the coaches were” to help his chances of earning a scholarship to an American college.
But in June, Julian moved back to Perth for family reasons, but is still determined to be successful in his training.
According to Prokick Australia, each of their sessions includes training with coaches to sharpen their skills in preparation for sending footage to coaches in the America.
Julian remains determined hoping to be scouted by January as he has “had a few setbacks.”
What makes this transition so easy?
Several AFL Players have found their way into punting over the years.
With athletes Sav Rocca, Arryn Siposs, Max Duffy and Ben Graham achieving success, Rohan believes the trend of AFL players transitioning will continue due to the similarity of the two sports.
“AFL players are suited to punting because as Aussies, we grow up playing footy”.
Julian adds that compared to Americans, Australians have a natural ball skill “that translates well to punting”.
As these athletes continue to forge their punting paths, they are proving Australians have step up to the world stage.
ECU Vanguard Reporter, Zane Carroll, provided more coverage on this topic earlier this year.
