Former Gold Coast Suns-listed player Patrick Murtagh has taken a giant step towards crossing the AFL-NFL divide – and not as a punter.

The 23-year-old former Suns Academy member has been added to the Detroit Lions’ roster after progressing through the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) program.

He now has an opportunity to earn a spot on an NFL roster, being carried until the end of training camp, and could then be kept on the practice squad using an exemption – or elevated to the active squad and play for the NFC North side.

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Perhaps most impressively Murtagh is the rare Aussie NFL convert who is not a punter, with the 196cm, 98kg former forward set to play tight end – a hybrid blocker and receiver role.

Murtagh spent three years on the Suns’ list before being delisted in 2022 and trying out for the IPP. He was also a state decathlon champion.

He and seven others – six Nigerians and one Frenchman, all of them playing offensive or defensive line – were assigned to NFC North or AFC West division teams.

Murtagh is not the first Aussie to progress through the program with rugby convert Jordan Mailata joining the Philadelphia Eagles and becoming an offensive line starter, even featuring in the Super Bowl this past season.

“My advice to the players coming into the program would be to enjoy and respect the process. Give it everything you’ve got. Embrace the opportunity and don’t let it go to waste. Hard work will always outlast talent,” Mailata said.