Three Australians and four New Zealanders head to NFL International Combine

The NFL International Combine heads to London for the second consecutive year in early October.

Mirrored after the annual NFL Combine staged in the United States, the invitational scouting showcase is designed to discover and evaluate potential NFL talent globally. Forty-five athletes will be selected to participate in a series of tests in front of NFL evaluators at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 3-4.

Athletes representing as many as 13 countries will be evaluated for a potential position in the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) program.  Launched in 2017, the IPP program aims to provide elite international athletes the opportunity to compete at the NFL level, improve their skills, and ultimately earn a spot on an NFL roster.

Following the NFL International Combine, a select number of athletes who meet specific performance requirements and display the potential to play in the NFL, will be invited to train in the United States for three months. This group will be reduced yet again following the training phase in the US and a select number will be allocated to NFL clubs for the 2023 season.

The NFL International Combine is the first step in the process towards participation in the IPP program that has helped players such as EFE OBADA(UK/Washington Commanders), JAKOB JOHNSON(Germany/Las Vegas Raiders) and JORDAN MAILATA(Australia/Philadelphia Eagles) earn an NFL roster spot.

This year's International Combine will see Australian athletes Patrick Murtagh, Talitiga Lachlan Amosa and Brendan Oswin along with New Zealander's Te Akau Gary Pumipi, Jaylen Raymond Chan-Tung, Jack Siaki Akiono and Etuale Junior Vinny Lui head to London.