It has been a maiden season to remember for Eniskerry man Dan Whelan at the Green Bay Packers.
Signed on as the team's punter just before the beginning of the NFL season last autumn, Whelan has impressed in the role as the Packers managed to sneak a play-off spot as the #7 NFC seed.
On Sunday night, the 24-year-old became the first Irishman to appear in the NFL post-season in 41 years.
That appearance came in a daunting wildcard playoff game against bitter rivals and #2 NFC seed the Dallas Cowboys, who had finished the regular season with an impressive 12-5 record.
Though they did not meet during the regular season this year, the rivalry between the Packers and Cowboys is one of the most storied in American sports, so there was more than just a divisional play-off place riding on Sunday night's game.
Irishman Dan Whelan was one of many on the Packers team who excelled, as the Green and Gold stunned the football world with a remarkable 48-32 victory over the much-fancied Cowboys.
After the game, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur gave Whelan a special mention in his rallying team talk to the Packers squad.
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Packers coach hails Dan Whelan influence in team talk
The Green Bay Packers would not have expected their underdog assignment away to the Dallas Cowboys to have been such a walk in the park - but that is what transpired on an astonishing Sunday night in Texas.
The Cowboys defence capitulated and had shipped 48 points by the time the final quarter got underway.
Though he may not have been at the centre of the Packers' attacking game which dismantled the Cowboys' defence, Dan Whelan's punts gave Green Bay significant territorial gains, and he more than played his part in a memorable victory.
The FIRST seventh seed to EVER win a playoff game.#CreateHistory | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/fUxtPy4ONV
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 15, 2024
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur addressed his team in the locker room post-game - and Whelan was one of the players who was given a special mention.
Alongside the likes of Aaron Jones and Romeo Doubs, who starred in the Packers' offensive game, Whelan was picked out for praise for landing the Packers deep in Cowboys territory on multiple occasions:
How about Daniel Whelan? Three punts inside the ten!
The enthusiasm of LaFleur, coupled with the reception from Whelan's teammates, shows just how valued an addition to the Packers roster the Wicklow man has been this season.
Things will not get any easier for the Packers from here on out. Next Saturday brings a mammoth task against the #1 NFC seed the San Francisco 49ers in the Bay.
Green Bay and San Francisco are well acquainted with each other - this will be the 10th time the pair have met in the post-season, a new NFL record.
The 49ers will undoubtedly be favourites at Levi's Stadium on Saturday night but, with Dan Whelan in tow, the Packers will be hoping to spring another surprise.
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