Australians in American football and rugby union have been linked to potential NFL careers. The punting specialist position requires similar skills to those used in Australian Rules football. Salaries are up to five times higher and the position lends itself to longevity: Australian football players generally retire at around 30, whereas American football punters can play well into their 40s (in fact, one of the players listed below, Darren Bennett, played 11 seasons in the NFL after leaving behind an Australian rules career when he was nearing 30). Initially Australians sought out American football careers, although now NFL scouts are more often actively seeking
Foreign players in the National Football League in the NFL. Ansah was invited to the Pro Bowl in 2015 after recording 14.5 sacks and forcing four fumbles. Recent seasons have seen a surge of Australians in the NFL primarily at the punter position. As punting is a vital aspect of Australian rules football, many players who are not fit for the physical play of that league have been able to find success in American football. The first Australian in the NFL was Melbourne native Colin Ridgeway, a punter who played a single season with the Dallas Cowboys in 1965. The first to spend significant time in the