Our next guest is an NFL football star from Australia who's made a.
Reputation for being one of the best punters in the game.
I'll tell you what, if I'm a scout, I'm going to Australia.
I want to fight me another one alone tonight.
His team, the Seattle Seahawks, are in the Super Bowl Finals place. Welcome to the show, Michael Dixon.
Good morning morning.
I mean, what time is it where you are? We're saying good afternoon, good night, good evening.
No, it's eleven eighteen am.
Okay, so it's still good morning.
How's yeah? Yeah, how's big filler? What is your world spinning?
Yeah?
I mean the last couple of the days, just trying to handle logistics and family and hotels and everything like that.
It was a bit hectic and trying to find like a suit for the Super Bowl. But now it's seems like.
It's just normal, normal routine, getting my reps in and doing my thing.
Is that the mindset you've got to get into this week, that it's just like another normal week.
Yeah, one hundred percent.
Well, so we have like a week at the facility and then we have another week once we get to.
San Fran of practice and media and prep.
So it's a bit of a longer gap between games, but really just viewing it as another game.
Can you believe that this is your life a boy from Sydney who is representing the entire country like Australia are all behind you in the Super Bowl?
Nah?
I mean it's going to be one of those things that I get through it and kind of embrace it during the moment, but really look back at and being disbelief.
There's been a few moments in my career.
Where I've had that that chance to reflect and it's been incredible.
So I'm looking forward to that now.
No pressure.
Can we call you Dicko by the way, of course, no pressure. But we're coming as well. We'll be at the super Bowl. We're bringing the show.
So we're bringing the entire show just for you. Who have you got coming from? Oz?
My parents, sister, brother in law, niece, nephew.
And then my wife's parents, brother.
Dicko.
How how far back of people come out of the woodwork, like as a primary school mate reached out gone, I always wanted to stay in contact me in any chance of tickets.
Nah, I mean it's all been love and support from friends that I've grown up with and I love it. No one's ever asking for a handout or anything. So yeah, I've really had really good people in my life. To be honest, I don't really deal with much of that.
Hey, dick O, Now you grew up in Sydney and then you started at the Sydney Swans Academy. Is that right? And then you transferred over to the States to become a punter. Can you just give us a snippet of how that process worked.
Yeah.
So I was in the Swansea Academy from age fifteen to eighteen or fourteen to eighteen, and then I was hoping to get drafted in play by a team in the AFL. That didn't happen, and I kind of wasn't loving the team that I was at at the time, so thought I'd take a gap year from footing. In the meantime, while I took the gap year, I thought, you know, I'm going to try and give this punting thing a go because I would hit torpies in Aussie rules and guys would often say you should give American
footballer cracks. So I found a guy my stepdad found found a guy who coached Izzi guys to get to the US and reached out to him, had a trial, trained with him for a few months in Melbourne, then had a scholarship offer from Texas, played there for a few years and got drafted, so it was like really draftid fighter.
Iback for the D's and thereafter a key forward Richmond need one. To be honest, I think he's coming back.
Who were the players who you sort of who you followed and you admired when you were watching from the sidelines or when you're an up and coming punter.
So I didn't really watch too many American guys. I would I always had a fast fascination with kicking the foot of those so I had on like vhs the tapes of like the longest best AFL goals, and it would always be like, you know, sav Rocca Anty Rocker, So I'd always try and mimic that when I would kick the footy before practice warming up. So I'd always look at those guys, and I think that's probably how I developed some of my skills from watching those tapes.
When a lot of Americans come out here and they'll go to the football and watch IFL and they're like, I don't know how these guys do it. They're not wearing any pads.
It's you know, it looks barbaric.
Hit on an AFL field compared to being hit on an NFL field all the pads and helmet, you still feel it.
Yeah, I mean the pads and helmet.
It's not like you're not like wrapped in bubble wrap like the guys way, you know, twice the wait and it's all about being explosive and it's head on. Some of the hits these guys deliver are insane. Not saying that Buzzie Rules doesn't have some crazy hits as well, but for the most part, some of the hits in the NFL maybe a bit more consistent, right.
Okay, getting it? Yeah, Now, Jason and I are big Seahawks fans. Now, Lauren, who are you do? You want to tell Dicko who you're You're Seahawks?
Really was even a little last minute change now that Dicko and I are made right, one of my very good friends is from Boston and at the start of the season he told me to barrack for the New England Patriots. But now that Dicko and I are very good mates, obviously because we're on the Seahawks.
As we were saying, we will be there. We're going to the super Bowl. We're taking the show to the States. Is there anything we should do? Anyone we should meet?
Parties? You can get us into decoy?
No, I mean and wrong person?
No, no, no, I got one for you. Who on your family is a bit of a loose unit? Who we should get on the show while we're while we're over there?
Is is your mum?
A bit of fun? They are super Bowl first. They are focused on the press.
Yeah or he knows his mumble embarrass him and he's playing it down. Well mate, Honestly, we could not be happier for you. You've worked your ass off to get to where you are and you're on the world stage. I hope you enjoy every moment of it.
I appreciate it. Guys. Thank you.
Hey, we'll bring a sign, okay, so you're to see.
Us to us johnnys on the good luck, have a great week leading up to the super Bowl as well, and we'll see you over there to go.
All right? Sounds good, Lauren, wake up feeling good. Following them on the Socials
Yeah,