Yarra Glen footballer Max DePina to represent Team USA in Canada

It all began with a road trip. Here’s how American Max DePina came to play footy at Yarra Glen and, soon, his country.

Max “Thunder” DePina will represent Team USA in the 2024 Transatlantic Cup in August.

It all began with a road trip.

Then there were whispers, intrigue…and a journey halfway around the world.

The story of Max DePina, a regular guy from Seattle, USA, becoming an Aussie Rules player at Yarra Glen in the Outer East league in Melbourne is nothing short of amazing.

And the 31-year-old is about to add another chapter to his story when he represents Team USA at the Transatlantic Cup in Toronto, Canada from August 2-11.

It’s an international AFL tournament featuring Great Britain, Ireland and France.

Rewind eight years and DePina had never heard of Aussie Rules football.

That all changed when he went on a road trip with his college buddies.

“I was on a spring break road trip from Seattle all the way down to Palm Springs California with a group of friends,” he said.

“And we were flicking the channel on TV late night and AFL came on. First time I’d ever seen the sport.

“We were trying to work out the rules. I was fascinated by it.”

Max ‘Thunder’ DePina is representing Team USA in the 2024 Transatlantic Cup in August.

One thing in particular caught DePina’s eye.

“The people in fluoro pink that I now know are the runners,” he laughed.

“But to someone who’s never seen the sport they stand out, and they run away from the ball and tell whispers in people’s ears. I’m like, ‘what element of the game is that?’

“All of that led to curiosity and amazement.”

DePina just had to know more about this sport of footy.

So he got Googling and found that the AFL USA existed and his hometown of Seattle had a team, the Seattle Grizzlies.

“I wanted to see what it was like to kick one of those weird, funny looking balls,” he said.

“So I went to training and was absolutely hooked.”

Showing ability, athletic DePina was encouraged to try out for Team USA.

Next thing he knew, he was selected to the team and was heading to Melbourne to take part in the Australian International Cup in 2017.

Along the way he was given the nickname, “Thunder’’, and it’s stuck.

Max ‘Thunder’ DePina is representing Team USA in the 2024 Transatlantic Cup in August.

“I absolutely loved Melbourne and I got my work to transfer me to the Melbourne office a year later and I’ve been here ever since,” DePina, who works in IT, said.

He soon joined local football clubs Fitzroy and then Uni Blacks in the VAFA.

Spreading his wings, DePina even played for the Darwin Buffaloes in the Northern Territory league.

This season, he’s joined Yarra Glen under master coach Dean Williams, who’s transformed DePina from full-forward into a dashing half back flanker who turns defence into attack.

“The senior coach had a vision for me to run and use my athleticism off the half back line,’’ DePina said.

“Almost like Jason Johannisen for the Bulldogs...setting up attacks as well as covering defensively. So I have the ability for the team USA to play either forward or back.”

DePina has fallen in love with the local footy scene.

“The welcoming it provides and the experiences and it’s impacted on my life,” he said.

As for representing his country, he said he was humbled.

“There’s quite a bit of pride,’’ he said.

“It definitely is a big deal for me.’’