On Tuesday morning (AEST), Ohio State will face Notre Dame for the College Football National Championship in front of more than 30 million people watching, and two AFL scions will be right in the middle.
Australians have found their place as punters in American football in recent years with a host of former Australian players hitting the gridiron in the land of the free.
The Buckeyes’ Joe McGuire, son of former Collingwood president Eddie, and James Rendell, son of champion Fitzroy Matt, of the Fighting Irish are the latest taxis to rise from the ranks and they will battle it out for college football supremacy before all America looks on.
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“If you told me I would do this two or three years ago, I’m not sure I’d believe you. It’s fantastic,” McGuire said. the ABC Sport Quotidien podcast.
“Ohio State and Notre Dame are by far the two greatest college teams in America. They are the biggest fan bases with, in the best way possible, the wildest fans.
“The passion is incredible. This is the most expensive national championship game ever played, tickets start at US$1,800.
“The average ticket price is around $2,800, so just getting in is ridiculous.”
McGuire’s journey to the top of college sports took time, and the 24-year-old put in an uphill battle to end up in Columbus at one of the best programs in America.
“I loved footy all my life, I played it all my life, I wasn’t particularly special at it but I was a good kicker,” McGuire said.
“One of my best friends came to me during COVID and said ‘there’s this thing called ProKick Australia and they send people to America to kick’.
“I looked into it, contacted Nathan Chapman and John Smith, who run ProKick, and I went down and had a kick with Chappy at a local pitch.
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was a trial run and he texted me the next day to say there was enough work there.”
McGuire won the starting job at Ohio State and never looked back.
Punting may seem simple to an outsider, but it’s not just about getting the ball down the field.
Once McGuire’s talent was identified, he had to transform his body physically. So he teamed up with famous strength coach Dave Tuinaauvai and got to work.
“At our peak I was doing about ten sessions with him a week to get pretty big, because it’s a pretty brutal sport and even though I’m the punter, if I get hit I’m aware of it. I put on about 20kg, to look good and have a stronger leg,” McGuire said.
“After two years back in Australia, Ohio State contacted ProKick and Chappy said ‘we have a guy for you’ and the rest is history.
“I always loved sports and watched a lot of football every summer. I watched the playoffs and the Super Bowl with my dad and brother.
“It became something that I fell in love with and decided I had to do it and I couldn’t leave anything out, I dedicated my life to it for two years.”
McGuire went to Ohio, won the punter job ahead of two others and hasn’t looked back since.
Rendell will line up for traditional powerhouse Notre Dame on Tuesday morning. (Getty Images: Jack Gorman )
Ohio State is one of the most storied programs in the country, with eight national titles to its credit, and with more than 100,000 people regularly attending their home games, the passion can be overwhelming.
“It’s like the whole university is an AFL cheer squad, everyone feels like they’re a part of it because they’re part of the success. Having 100,000 people at the game making noise at third to distract the opposition, it all helps. It’s like it’s a tribe,” McGuire said.
“(Bettors) aren’t on the level of quarterbacks or receivers, they’re like early Gary Ablett, but when you’re sitting next to someone in class and they find out you’re on the football team, they think that’s pretty cool.
“I had some classmates last year, they decided to stir me up and they all stood up and started clapping when I walked in after my first match.”
McGuire hasn’t revealed how famous his father is at home — although his teammates eventually found out and had a lot of fun — but both of his parents will be in attendance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for Tuesday’s game.
“He and mom came in mid-November and they’ve been to every game since. My brother was there too and he’ll be at the national championship as well,” McGuire said.
“During the home and away season, walking in front of 105,000 people and watching mom and dad in the crowd, it’s just fantastic.”
McGuire has aspirations of getting into the NFL, but he’s totally focused on Tuesday, when he or Rendell will become the third Australian to win a college football title.
“James and I met through ProKick and we went to the Collingwood-Carlton game earlier this year and sat together,” McGuire said.
“We joked that we might play each other one day, but when the season started we were on opposite sides so it was ‘good luck mate, hope you win this week’.
“It happened a few weeks ago and we realized we might see each other at the big meet. We wished each other luck, but we hope each other’s team finishes second.”
