Hawthorn has added former NFL punter Arryn Siposs to its coaching staff after the Aussie was brutally cut by the Philadelphia Eagles following a Super Bowl blunder.
Siposs played three seasons with the Eagles but was cut after a botched punt during a crucial juncture of this year’s Super Bowl, which the Eagles lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
”Arryn joins our club with great experience and perspective following exposure across two high performance environments, in the AFL and NFL, which we believe will benefit our program immensely,” Hawks football boss Rob McCartney said in a statement.
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“We see him being a great fit for our talented young list and helping develop players, both on and off the field.”
Hopes were high for Siposs, fellow Aussie Jordan Mailata and the Eagles before the loss to the Chiefs in February.
“I think so. I think deep down that (botched punt) has, obviously, played a part in it,” Siposs said of his Eagles departure.
“Again, I can’t take that back, and that is something that I obviously have to deal with for the rest of my life. I obviously think about that myself as well, but I can’t continue to let that hold me back, and reminisce on it and think negatively about it. I don’t think that is going to get me anywhere going forward.
“I think that has probably played a part, but I was hoping that maybe with the way I came back, maybe they would see the other side of it.”
Siposs has AFL experience after being drafted by St Kilda in the 2010 AFL draft. He played 28 games for the Saints between the 2011 and 2015 seasons before chasing his NFL dream.
In further changes to Hawthorn’s coaching line-up, assistant coach Adrian Hickmott will now be the club’s forwards coach, while David Mackay has been elevated to a full-time development role as part of the AFL program in 2024.