Each week during the season, we’re going through the Eagles’ media guide to find an interesting nugget.
This week, I chatted with kicker Jake Elliott. His listed bucket list item is to “travel to Australia.”
Me: (Nodding toward empty locker next to him) Now, I’m sure you said that before you spent time every day with a guy who is from Australia (punter Cameron Johnston).
Elliott: (laughing) Yeah …
Me: Is that in the plans for you?
JE: Yeah, I’ll get over there at some point. One of my really good buddies from college, he’s also from Australia, so I’ll get over and visit him. And now that I know this guy (Johnston) pretty well, I’ll get over there with him.
Me: What about Australia?
NFL
JE: Honestly, ever since I’ve been a little kid, I think it was just so foreign to me, it’s always just kind of been a bucket list thing. Obviously, great weather all the time. Now that I’ve looked into it some more, it’s got Sydney, got Melbourne, got some great cities, some great touristy cities and awesome beaches.
Me: What would be at the top of your list of things you’d want to do there?
JE: Um, I think No. 1, I’d like to go to an AFL game. Australian Football League game. My buddy who I played with in college, his brother plays professionally over there, so I think I’d want to go over and watch him play.
Me: That’s pretty cool. Do you know anything about the sport? Because it’s different, right?
JE: I’ve watched it quite a bit just because he was obviously so interested in it. So I’ve watched a little bit of it. It’s definitely a fun sport to watch. I don’t know all the rules yet, by any means, but it’s very active, a lot of scoring. It’s pretty cool.
Me: Cam knows it, I guess.
JE: Cam played it. Cam played it, I think, professionally, before he came over here.
Note: Elliott’s friend from college is Nick Jacobs, who was the Australian-born punter for the University of Memphis Tigers while Elliott was there.
Jacobs’ older brother, Ben, plays for the North Melbourne Fighting Kangaroos of the AFL.
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