Super Bowl-bound Australian Jordan Mailata has become an instant hit in the United States after borrowing a classic line from a Batman villain to sledge an opponent.
Mailata and the Philadelphia Eagles secured their place in the Super Bowl with a massive 55-23 win over the Commanders in the NFC championship game.
The former South Sydney Rabbitohs-contracted star played a huge role in the win, and was heard laughing and sledging his way through the match through on-field microphones.
The best of his banter came when he used an iconic line used by villain Bane in the Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises to slam his opposition.
‘I was wondering what would break first, your spirit, or your body,’ he said with a maniacal laugh.
It has led Americans to fall in love with the Aussie man mountain and call for him to be mic’ed up for every match – including the Super Bowl.
Australian NFL star Jordan Mailata delivered the epic sledge during the NFC Championship match to get into the Super Bowl
Mailata channeled the Batman villain Bane, played by Tom Hardy who appeared in The Dark Knight Rises
‘Jordan Mailata with the Bane quote is diabolical,’ an Eagles fan group posted.
‘The greatest trash talk ever. A mad man,’ a Phillies fan added.
Another referenced the Christopher Nolan movie, posting: ‘Jordan Mailata was born in the darkness’.
‘Jordan Mailata quoting Bane to the Commanders during a blowout is just fantastic,’ posted yet another.
While he was a showman in the NFC Championship game, Mailata is imploring his Philadelphia Eagles to put a lid on the Super Bowl hype as he sets sights on creating Australian sporting history.
Mailata will become the first Australian to play in two Super Bowls when his Eagles meet the reigning Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL’s showpiece game.
The Sydney-born powerhouse is also bidding to be the first Australian to play in a Super Bowl victory.
Mailata, who tasted Super Bowl defeat two years ago, has a blunt message for his teammates this time around.
‘The message is simple: don’t make it bigger than it is,’ Mailata said.
Mailata, who used to be a South Sydney Rabbitohs forward, wants to keep a lid on the Super Bowl hype this time around
The Eagles will be hoping to get revenge for their Super Bowl loss against the Chiefs two years ago
‘It’s the same message we have been living by the last 20 weeks. We’re not going to change it up now because it’s the Super Bowl.
‘Guys know the stakes that we’re playing for.
‘And I just think keeping the message simple, not complicating everything, not changing your routine, is one way that can help the group perform.’
The dynamic offensive lineman is among four Australians to play in a Super Bowl – but he and punters Ben Graham (Arizona, 2009), Mitch Wishnowsky (San Francisco, 2020) and Arryn Siposs (Philadelphia, 2023) have all lost.
One Australian has a Super Bowl ring: Jesse Williams was on the Seattle Seahawks roster in their 2014 triumph but he didn’t play during the season because of a knee injury.
Siposs was Mailata’s teammate on the Eagles team that lost 38-35 to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago.
Asked about his best and worst memories from that occasion, Mailata replied: ‘The worst, you can already imagine.
‘The best memory? Probably just I guess being in the position to try and win it and being there is probably the best part about it. It’s a bitter-sweet kind of question.’
Mailata, the son of Samoan immigrants who was born in Bankstown and played junior rugby league with South Sydney, rated this convocation of Eagles as superior to the defeated outfit of two years ago.
‘It’s a pretty special team this year,’ he said ahead of the Super Bowl on February 9 (February 10 AEDT).
‘This team is more closer, more special than the last team that went to the Super Bowl.
‘Our relationships on a personal level are much more closer and it carries over to the field, the professional side.’
The 27-year-old said this season’s squad spent more time together outside of the club than previous groups.
‘Spending time with each other outside of the facility, going to dinners, going to each other’s houses, group settings as well,’ he said.
‘But mostly just here (at the club), the grind.
‘It’s a lot harder this year than the previous years and I think that was with intent to grow us closer.
‘If we’re all in misery, we’re all in misery together … just knowing that what I am going through, the guy next to you is going through – that’s a special bond there already.’
The 203cm-tall, 166kg Mailata last April signed a three-year, $US66 million contract extension to remain with the Eagles through to 2028.