BY STAFF WRITERS

Former South Australian rugby league player Matt Leo has been picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles under the International Player Pathway Program – the same program that saw Val Holmes spend a season at the New York Jets.

Leo joins Jordan Mailata in Philly.

Mailata played lower grades at South Sydney.

It’s huge news for Leo who moved to the United States a few years ago without ever playing a game of gridiron.

“We see Matt as this physical Greek god that he looks like,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell told The Ames Gazette.

“But learning to play the sport of football in such a short amount of time has been a great challenge. Matt has done everything above and beyond the call of duty to practice and get himself to this point to become a great player.”

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Just last month Leo told Wide World of Sports how he played five-eigth as a kid in the local Adelaide competition.

“My favourite players were Karmichael Hunt and Petero Civoniceva,” Leo said.

“I was a massive fan of the Maroons. Whenever it was State of Origin time I was absolutely in awe of them.

“My dad was a massive union fan and I loved watching Jonah Lomu and Dan Carter too, but league was always my love.”