GRANT McNaughton is a tight end on the Australian gridiron team, which flew out to America at the weekend for a series of international matches.
Tight end is a position in American football; it is essentially a hybrid between an offensive lineman, who are large and powerful, and a wide receiver, who are fast and skilled.
They are typically larger than wide receivers, but smaller than offensive linemen, with the ability to block players in the run game as well as catch passes.
The Hawkesbury's McNaughton, 25, has played American football since 2010, and has already represented Australia before.
McNaughton said he used to play as a wide receiver, where he caught plenty of passes, but has recently transitioned to the tight end position.
‘‘I’ve only recently moved to tight end. I’ve always been more of a wide receiver because I was faster I guess,’’ he said.
‘‘I’d say I’ll do a lot of both passing and blocking, I’ll make a load of blocks and hopefully I don’t drop many catches that come my way.’’
The Australian team will play France and South Korea over three and a half weeks and hope to earn a place in the final to play America.
McNaughton said he was not sure how the Australian team would go offensively against the other nations.
‘‘I’d like to say I believe we have a strong offence with a good mix of experience and youth. I honestly couldn’t tell you how we are going to run our offence till the day,’’ he said.
McNaughton said he first started playing with the Penrith Outlaws, and had a stint with the Bondi Raiders. He now plays for the Nepean Ducks.