[Source: Reuters]

Australian test rugby player Jordan Petaia has signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) training programme, months after turning his back on the Wallabies.

Petaia, who played 31 tests for Australia and two Rugby World Cups, joins the Chargers as a potential tight end after training at the IMG Academy in Florida.

The Chargers said the 25-year-old would work with tight ends coach and run game coordinator Andy Bischoff, joining Will Dissly, Tyler Conklin and other tight ends on the roster.

Petaia became Australia’s youngest player at a Rugby World Cup when he made his debut as a 19-year-old against Uruguay in Japan in 2019.

He played seven seasons for the Brisbane-based Queensland Reds in Super Rugby before confirming in December he would join the IPP programme for a tilt at the NFL.

He has previously said a career in NFL was a dream he shared with his father, who died in 2020 after a heart attack.

“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,” Petaia said last year.

Tall, athletic and quick, Petaia played as an outside back and midfielder in rugby, and was tipped for stardom when he was called up for the Wallabies as a teenager.

He was never quite able to meet those expectations amid a succession of injury setbacks.

Earning a long-term spot on the Chargers roster would be a monumental achievement for Melbourne-born Petaia, who has had to learn the game from scratch.

Australia has produced a string of NFL punters but few athletes able to cement a spot in other positions.

Philadelphia Eagles lineman Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player, is one of the rare success stories, becoming the nation’s first NFL player to feature on a winning Super Bowl team with victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in February.

“I am super proud of Jordan and I think the opportunity he has is tremendous,” Mailata said in a statement published by Australian media.

“I know the Chargers are going to invest in Jordan, and he is going to invest and buy into the whole process. I couldn’t be prouder of him.”

Other rugby league converts have signed for teams but quickly fallen by the wayside including Valentine Holmes, who joined the New York Jets as a running back in 2019.

Running back Jarryd Hayne made the San Francisco 49ers’ 53-man roster in 2015 but was waived early in the season and quit the following year.

Petaia will return to his home city of Brisbane next week and can expect a big reception from local media.

His manager Andrew Fairbairn said several NFL teams had shown interest in Petaia but the Chargers were the best fit.

“We are thrilled for Jordy,” Fairbairn said.

“He has taken a huge risk to depart rugby union for the NFL IPP, with no contractual guarantee.”

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