Standing at 205 centimetres tall and 122 kilograms, Ben Te Kura cuts an imposing figure when huddled with his Broncos teammates – a frame that caught the attention of NFL scouts, and led the Brisbane prop to chase an American dream.
The 22-year-old has begun a six-week leave from Broncos HQ to join the NFL’s Gold Coast-based academy, at a time when fellow forward Pat Carrigan has accepted a two-game suspension for a high tackle.
The young enforcer leaves with his teammates’ support, who are adamant they have the depth to cover his absence – including uncapped prospect VJ Semu, who is in line to debut against Wests Tigers on Saturday night.
“It’s good he can go and explore a different avenue, he’s a good friend of mine, so I’m happy for him, but it’s a big loss as well,” Broncos middle Xavier Willison said.
“VJ Semu can stand up there. He’s been ticking all the boxes at training, doing all the little effort areas that a middle should, so he’s definitely ready.”
After Te Kura’s six-week block, he will either return to Broncos’ training, or the club will extend his absence to keep chasing an NFL opportunity.
While it is a bold ploy, two AFL stars who made the transition insist Australian athletes had the skill set to thrive on America’s biggest stage.
Ripples were sent through the AFL when Ben Graham announced he would leave the Geelong Cats for his NFL shot. As he tells this masthead on the Gold Coast, he has no regrets.
Even if it meant missing the golden years for the club he represented 219 times, leaving shortly before the Cats’ run of three premierships between 2007 and 2011, having captained the side and featured in the 1995 grand final defeat to Carlton.
“At that point in time it would’ve been three years down the track, I would have missed the opportunity to play in the NFL, and I wouldn’t have still been playing in the AFL,” Graham said.
“I saw the introduction and drafting of key members of that premiership team, and watched them grow up. I firmly believe I had a part and a role to play in their development.
“I was nothing but proud as punch when I watched them win that premiership from New York.”
Graham spent eight years as an NFL punter across four teams, leaving AFL at the end of 2004 after being offered a one-year Cats deal “at a significantly reduced amount”.
He became the oldest NFL rookie (31) with the New York Jets and first Australian to play a Super Bowl while with Arizona.
Graham endured a rollercoaster – highlighted by his 2008 season. He started with the Jets, appeared on Sesame Street, rang the Wall Street bell, and got cut twice by New York. He was then picked up by New Orleans, axed after playing at Wembley, and brought in for the Cardinals’ Super Bowl run.
When Graham was asked how he felt starting a new career so deep into another one – invigorated, nervous, daunted – he simply said, “all of the above”.
“There were a lot of things that were going to have to go right for me that year, and no one could guarantee anything in the NFL, but I did use the off season to go to the States, met with four teams, worked with them, and heard enough and performed well enough to back myself in,” Graham said.
“I did see the ups and downs, but looking back I still pinch myself.”
While Graham’s stint began after a 14-year career, Arryn Siposs found himself at a crossroads when he was delisted by St Kilda after 28 games.
After two years in the reserve-grade VFL, casting aside shin splint issues, he charted a new path to the NFL through the college system.
“I certainly was still thinking at the time that I wanted to get another shot in the AFL,” Siposs told this masthead.
“With all those injuries occurring I think that was probably a sign my body was just starting to adapt to it all. [But] after my first year [in the VFL] and I didn’t really get a look in, I started to make the shift to looking at another path.”
What transpired was a two-season stint with the Philadelphia Eagles as a punter.
“It was a big gamble,” Siposs said, “but the 100 per cent trust in myself to be able to get the job done and make something of it was ultimately what I wanted to chase.”
Having “a decent leg” certainly helped, however Siposs was adamant Australians should not feel limited to becoming punters, while adding vision of NRL star Matt Burton slotting long-range field goals in Las Vegas would likely have NFL scouts on alert.
He said Australian athletes possessed the skill set to thrive, while backing those who struggle to make the cut in their respective codes to find success.
“It’s just going to take time. That’s probably the hard part about the NFL, you’re in a business that doesn’t allow enough time,” Siposs said.
“It’s not necessarily physical ability, there’s no doubt the guys can catch a ball and run and have physical pressure, it’s just about learning all the plays that go with it.
“There’s a lot of knowledge behind it, a lot of detail, and if you’re missing one little bit it can make it quite tough. But if you apply yourself, I’m sure it can work.”
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