Darren Bennett

Appreciate it.

Thank you, Bennett.

Yep.

Outside those guys compete every day.

Yeah.

What-

You mentioned, you know, the physical, obviously, adjustment, but you had worked with Darren Bennett, and you've been over here a few times, but this was your first time living here.

What was the emotional and, and kind of adjustment like just being a college student, just moving to a different country, and also trying to manage being a college football player?

David Been, Been was a f- was a snapper for the first, uh, first time ever I think the NFL had hired just a snapper.

Um, and then also, uh, Darren Bennett, who was an Australian rules, uh, football player for many years, for 13 years before he came over to the United States to play for the Chargers as a rookie at the age of 30.

Mm-hmm.

So I learned a lot of, of things from, from Darren as well, and it was just a super, super cool experience.

Possibly.

Darren Bennett, will you catch up with him? Will you catch up with your mate while you're over there?

He's in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

So it's a state across.

For those that didn't follow your story, tell us about how your AFL career led to a successful punting career over in the States.

Well, I was one of the guys that pioneered it, so th- there was Darren Bennett and Ben Graham before me.

Just claim it, Sav.

Just claim it.

So at the moment, I'm with the Gridiron Company, and I'm coaching kids here to hopefully get a scholarship.

So they'll be with me roughly about a year, a year and a half.

And then we've got Darren Bennett over in the States who will talk to colleges, and he's got coaches approaching him saying, "We need you guys to come over." Um, especially because in college we can do a various of punts, um, you know, coming out of the pocket rollouts, kicking, you know, to the left or right, whichever side we want.

Um, and Darren finds them schools over there and then we will, you know, link them and, and get them scholarships to go over to the States and, and hopefully, you know, if they do really well in, on that side of things, then they can go into the big leagues.

This week, we're joined by a pioneer in his field and a man at the centre of one of Australian sports' most remarkable journeys.

Darren Bennett went from promising yet injury-plagued VFL AFL forward to one of the best punters in the NFL.

opening up a punting pipeline of sorts and lighting a path for multiple generations to follow.

After 78 games in seven VFL-AFL seasons at West Coast and Melbourne, Darren took his prodigious leg to the National Football League via a hastily arranged tryout while he was on his honeymoon.

Two Pro Bowls, a spot in the NFL All-Decade Team of the 90s, despite only playing for half that decade, an entry to the Chargers Hall of Fame, all followed in a life that's had obvious highs, but also its share of tragedy.

Darren Bennett, welcome to you.

Thanks, Sam.

Talk about injuries, mate.

And back when I played, There was no social media, right? Of course.

So it was things like being the first Australian to play in a Super Bowl started to put the NFL on the map more than it already was through the trailblazers like Colin Scott, Colin Ridgway, Darren Bennett and Don Lane on the ABC that the older generation would remember.

Richard Osborne.

But to have this full circle...

Of course.

How do I voice change it? Your voice is – I don't know what happened to your voice, but you just sound so young.

But to go over there and to experience that and then go over to the Jets and play for the Jets, 49 games for the Jets, is that right? Is this a true story? So I've heard this story, and I reckon Darren Bennett told me when I went over and stayed with him for a month in L.A.

San Diego.

Yeah.

You don't remember Darren Bennett?

Yes.

Yeah, I do.