Ben Te Kura, the towering prop of the Brisbane Broncos, has been granted permission to take a leave of absence to explore opportunities in the NFL.
At just 22 years old, Te Kura stands at an impressive 205 centimetres, making him the tallest player in the NRL, and the NFL has shown "long-term interest" in him.
The Broncos have approved a six-week break for Te Kura to participate in an NFL training camp, allowing him to pursue this exciting chance.
According to a statement from Brisbane, "At the conclusion of the six-week period, Te Kura will either return to Broncos' training, or the club will extend his absence to facilitate further steps towards a possible NFL opportunity in the United States."
Te Kura has played a mere five NRL games since his debut in 2024, mainly due to injury setbacks, and he has yet to play this season-most recently participating in three matches with Wynnum Manly in the Queensland Cup.
Meanwhile, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is currently in Australia, working to promote the upcoming NFL season opener between the San Francisco 49ers and LA Rams at the MCG in September.
Goodell's visit comes just as the NFL's academy launched in 2024 on the Gold Coast, and he has been traveling to Melbourne as tickets for the 49ers-Rams game became available.
He commented, "There's no question that we're going to be playing here again."
He added, "the view is we're coming here for the long term. We don't come as one-offs, this isn't a circus, this is an investment in this market."