Joe McGuire and James Rendell punt their way to college football glory for Ohio State and Notre Dame

On Tuesday morning (Australian Eastern Standard Time), Ohio State University will compete against the University of Notre Dame for the college football national championship, a game expected to be watched by over 30 million people. Among the players, two descendants from the Australian Rules Football scene will be the focus of the match.

In recent years, Australians have found their place in American football, with many former Australian Rules Football players stepping onto the American football field. Ohio State University's Joe McGuire, son of former Collingwood club president Eddie, and Notre Dame's James Rendell, son of Fitzroy champion Matt, will compete against each other in this highly anticipated college football showdown.

“If someone had told me two or three years ago that I would be doing this, I probably wouldn't have believed it. It's amazing,” McGuire said in an interview with ABC Sport’s daily podcast. He added, “Ohio State and Notre Dame are two of the biggest college teams in America. They have the largest fan bases, and the fans are incredibly passionate. The tickets for this game are the most expensive ever, starting at $1,800 and averaging around $2,800, making it very difficult to get in.”

McGuire's path to the pinnacle of college sports was not smooth. The 24-year-old put in tremendous effort to eventually join one of the top programs in Columbus. He recalled, "I loved Australian Rules Football since I was a kid, and I played it all the time, but I wasn't particularly good, although my kicking skills were okay.” During the pandemic, a friend introduced him to “Prokick Australia,” a program that sends players to play in the United States. McGuire contacted the program’s director and attended tryouts, eventually getting his opportunity.

After McGuire showed his talent, he had to undergo a physical transformation. He worked with renowned strength coach Dave Tuinauvai, training about ten times a week to build his physique. McGuire stated, “I gained about 20 kilograms to meet the demands of the game and gain more leg strength. After playing in Australia for about two years, Ohio State contacted Prokick Australia, and they said, ‘We have the right guy here,’ and that's how this story came about.”

“I've always loved sports, and every summer I would watch a lot of American football games. I would watch the playoffs and Super Bowl with my father and brothers. I fell in love with the sport and decided to go all out, and I put in two years of effort for this,” McGuire said. McGuire went to Ohio, stood out in the competition, and won the kicker position, and things have been smooth sailing since then. Ohio State is one of the most famous university programs in the United States, with eight national championship titles, and home games often have over 100,000 spectators, with very passionate fans.

McGuire described, “The whole university is like an Australian Rules Football cheer squad, everyone feels like they’re part of it, because they are—they’re part of the success. When there’s a third down, having 100,000 people making noise at the same time to disrupt the other team really helps. It’s like a tribe.” He also said, “Kickers aren’t as prominent as quarterbacks or wide receivers, but when you’re sitting next to someone in class and they find out you’re on the football team, they think it’s cool. Last year, some of my friends walked into class after my first game, just to make fun of me, and they all stood up and applauded.”

McGuire hasn’t publicly promoted his father's fame in Australia, but his teammates eventually found out and have fun with it. His parents will be at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to watch Tuesday’s game. McGuire said, “He and my mom came here in mid-November, and they’ve watched every game since then. My brother was also here, and he will also be at the national championship game. During home games, when I walk onto the field with 105,000 people watching, seeing my parents in the crowd feels amazing.”

McGuire aspires to make it into the National Football League (NFL), but he is currently focused on Tuesday's game. He and Rendell will be one of the three Australians to win a college football championship. McGuire stated, “James and I met through Prokick Australia, and we watched the Collingwood vs. Carlton game together earlier this year. We joked that we might meet in a game one day, but when the season started, we were in different divisions, so we wished each other well, hoping the other would win this week. A few weeks ago, we realized we might meet in the final. We wished each other well, but also hoped the other team would come in second.”