‘The best feeling’: Michael Dickson becomes second Australian NFL player to win a Super Bowl
Michael Dickson may be the toast of Seattle, sitting on the throne of American sport, but Australia’s second Super Bowl champion still has one craving the USA cannot satisfy: chips with chicken salt.The king of Australia’s NFL punting expats starred for the Seattle Seahawks in their suffocating 29-13 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots in Santa Clara, California.“I love my family, I love my friends, I love Australia,” Dickson told ESPN on the field after the match.“I can’t wait to get home, get some chips with some chicken salt, I’m craving that, and a parmi [chicken parmigiana].That’d be nice.
”The 30-year-old helped pin the Pats near their endzone for much of the night, and became the second Australian to play in a Super Bowl win, following the success of Jordan Mailata for Philadelphia last year,Dickson said he had no doubt he and his teammates would win,“I have big dreams so I knew we were going to get here and I knew we were going to get it done and we did, so I’m very lucky and very happy,” he said,“It’s nice to know that I can play in these type of games, and if you ever feel any nerves you just look at your guys next to you and everyone’s having fun and making plays, so I mean, it’s the best feeling,”Mailata appeared on ESPN midway through the match as the coverage counted down a contest that was increasingly one-sided following the Seahawks’ 9-0 half-time lead.
The Eagles offensive tackle said it would be “awesome” to have another countryman with a ring.“I hope he does man, kudos to more from Australia.”Dickson was impressive in his seven punts, which averaged almost 48 yards.One precise kick in the second quarter left New England starting possession off their own line, and the Australian delivered two other late highlights including a punt that came to rest one yard from the endzone.The former Sydney Swans academy member has been recognised before, including being named in All-Pro first and second-teams across his eight NFL seasons.
The four-year contract he penned with the Seahawks last year, at almost $6m per year, made him the NFL’s highest-paid punter.But his performance at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara represented his career peak.American commentators raved about his performance, one describing him as “maybe the best punter in the sport”, and the NFL’s social media accounts posted two of Dickson’s punts.He was also the holder for placekicker Jason Myers’s five field goals.Special teams wizardry right here.
Super Bowl LX on NBCStream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/7WBlZbRO4oSome social media users declared Dickson’s performance warranted the match’s MVP award.Though largely tongue-in-cheek, the suggestion was not out of the question given the Australian was MVP for the Texas Bowl in 2017 while playing in college.The MVP award was ultimately given to Seattle running back Kenneth Walker, but Dickson’s success marks the high point for Australia’s long tradition of NFL punters since ex-AFL player Darren Bennett was a standout for the San Diego Chargers.
Australian punters are increasingly common in college ranks, and many have found NFL success in recent years including Mitch Wishnowsky who made his name in San Francisco before moving to Buffalo this season and helping the Bills to the playoffs.In addition to Mailata and Dickson’s triumphs, Jesse Williams also has a Super Bowl ring from the Seahawks’ other title 12 years ago, but didn’t play a match in the season.
NatWest is chasing the mass affluent wallet. So is everyone else | Nils Pratley
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Winter Olympics 2026: Jutta Leerdam takes speed skating gold but GB medal wait goes on – live
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Twickenham crackdown with 24 fines for ‘public urination’ after England v Wales
Unruly spectators at Twickenham felt the force of a crackdown on antisocial behaviour at the match between England and Wales last Saturday, with Richmond council issuing 24 fixed-penalty notices for public urination, the Guardian can reveal.The Rugby Football Union is trying to persuade local residents to ditch their opposition to proposals to increase the number of concerts held every year from three to 15. Much of the opposition centres around antisocial behaviour experienced during England matches and, as revealed by the Guardian, the RFU hosted a drop-in event for residents in an effort to convince them that their concerns were being taken seriously.Last Saturday, it is understood that 24 FPNs were handed out to those committing urinating offences which took place in a number of places including front gardens, alleyways, main roads, and bushes. That is despite attempts to tackle the problem by installing barriers in hotspots and deploying plain-clothed officers and stewards to ward off potential offenders
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