Cronulla Sharks rub shoulders with Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen
IT is not every day a $38 million NFL star walks into an NRL training session. But that’s what Cronulla got with Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen.
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IT is not every day a $38 million NFL star walks into an NRL training session.
But that is what happened when Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen joined premiers Cronulla on a sweltering morning in Sydney on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old, whose $9.5 million annual income is nearly $2.5 million more than what every NRL club can spend on their entire roster, met the players and was given a tour by coach Shane Flanagan and the club’s high-performance staff.
Cronulla prop Andrew Fifita jokingly sized Allen up in the gym, while Joseph Paulo, who first met Allen through the Hillsong Church a few years ago, thought twice about “shouting’’ lunch when reminded about his mate’s mammoth pay packet.
Allen told The Daily Telegraph he planned to take part in a gym session with the Sharks next week and was keen to take some leadership skills back to the US.
At 192cm and 120kg, Allen said he did not have the “toughness’’ to play in the NRL — and had never heard of the Sharks’ own NFL hopeful, Valentine Holmes.
“I came over here a couple of years ago and the first spot I hit was Hillsong Church,” said Allen, as he crammed into the front seat if Paulo’s car.
“I met (sports chaplain) George Dansey and he of course introduced me to a lot of different people who go to church to worship, including ‘Sefa’ (Paulo).
“I love it here. I love the weather, the people. This trip is about bettering myself, my body.”
Allen revealed he wanted to use the Sharks’ premiership success to enhance his NFL prospects next season.
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“My club, the Indianapolis Colts, are going through a bit of a transition in leadership, and what better place to go than the (NRL) grand final champions to learn about leadership and what it takes to get my own club to our grand final, the Super Bowl,” he said.
“I’ve been here a couple of weeks, I’ll probably stay another couple of weeks.
“I have another week off, our season finished on January 1, so I’m allowing my body to heal. But next week I’ll get over here and do some weights and maybe run around a bit.
“The coach (Shane Flanagan) has been generous enough to allow me to come over and really opened up about what he believes in from a philosophy and coaching standpoint, and really helped me understand what has made them successful, and makes them successful.’’
Allen inked a four-year extension worth $38 million before the season kicked off, and bagged six touchdowns as the Colts finished the regular season with eight wins and eight losses.
Despite his hulking frame and blistering speed, Allen said there was no way he could survive in the NRL.
Despite his hulking frame and blistering speed, Allen said there was no way he could survive in the NRL.
“I definitely have an interest in the game from a fan perspective, but I could never do what those guys do, and I’d never try to do what those guys do,’’ Allen said.
“It takes a special human being to play NRL.
“I think the NFL and game of American football, all you have to do is be an athlete and be able to accept instructions to play the sport.
“In the NRL, there’s something about the toughness it takes in order to play, I just don’t have that, and I’m humble enough to say that.’’
Allen spoke with Jarryd Hayne before he made the transition to the San Francisco 49ers.
Flanagan visited the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers during the off-season, and was open to the idea of a behind-the-scenes look of the Colts after meeting Allen.
As for his tip in next Monday’s Super Bowl, Allen said it was hard to go past the New England Patriots because of the success and experience of their coach Bill Belichick.
Originally published as Cronulla Sharks rub shoulders with Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen
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