Perth’s Mitch Wishnowsky excited to use all of his Aussie Rules kicks in Super Bowl for San Francisco 49ers

Perth punter Mitch Wishnowsky has declared the decision to schedule Monday’s Super Bowl at an indoor venue in Las Vegas has handed him the advantage of being able to unleash his full repertoire of kicking skills for San Francisco 49ers. Wishnowsky’s second Super Bowl will be played in different conditions to his first appearance in 2020. That match was played at Florida’s Hard Rock Stadium which, while well enclosed, was still outdoor venue. Allegiant Stadium is a dome and Wishnowsky said not having to deal with any weather conditions means he can make more tactical decisions when called upon to punt. “In some outdoor stadiums you can have a gnarly crosswind, which means you can only punt right, which means they can vice your right gunner and different punts are required to control the returner,” Wishnowsky explained. “I think it can open up the punt game a little bit. There shouldn’t be any sort of crazy breezes or anything. So you should be able to go and left or right. You’re just not limited by any sort of weather conditions. So it’s nice playing indoors as a punter for sure.” Australians have changed punting in the NFL because they grew up learning to kick with a variety of techniques. Instead of being restricted to the traditional torpedo kick, Australians are comfortable using the drop punt. Wishnowsky also enjoys unleashing the banana at times, to confuse the opposition even further. When he steps out on Monday, he’ll be scanning the field to make the most of his options. “I think the drop punt is more if there’s a really good returner and distance isn’t as much of a priority and you want to sort of hang it up there and put it to 45 yards fair caught, just to make their dangerous returner doesn’t get started,” Wishnowsky said. “The drop punt, like most Aussies, I’m pretty accurate with it. I’ve definitely gotten better with the spirals as far as accuracy. But the way look at it is the highest ball you can hit is a spiral and the longest ball you can hit is a spiral. So if you want a high ball or a really long ball, it’s spiral. “The drop punts are great for direction and sort of controlling a returner. And then there’s the banana or the checkside snap for trying to cause turnovers and make it hard for the returners to catch it. Sometimes they’ll choose not to catch it, and you’ll get the roll. “Most of the time, I’ll speak to our special teams coordinator about what ball I’m going to hit - left or right - and different things like that, just so the coverage knows. If I get out there and something’s changed, and I was going to hit a spiral, but the wind isn’t right or the way that they’re setting up for a punt return (isn’t right) I can change it. “But a lot of the time I try to have a plan and go out there and just execute the plan. But obviously, things always change and there will be times that I switch things up.” Wishnowsky isn’t averse to switching things up even further, as evidenced by his fake punt in December. Nobody expected a punter to run with the ball. Even his coach and teammates were shocked. But he spotted a gap where space shouldn’t have been and seized the moment. Wishnowky’s footy background as a WAFL reserves player with Perth helped him to run the ball for a gain of 30 yards, and his team was shattered to discover the referee had called a penalty elsewhere on the field. That scenario may never occur again, but his decision to run was a sign of how much Wishnowsky has improved since being drafted in 2019. “I feel like I’m a lot better,” he said. “I’m four or five years more experienced. Every year I’m in the NFL I’m just trying to get a little bit better. And I think I’ve done that. I would like to think I’m better than I was last Super Bowl.” Wishnowsky’s journey from Perth tradie to the NFL is the stuff of fairytales, but his hopes of winning the Super Bowl will increase significantly if his team is in control and he’s barely required to come on the field. The 49ers will be relying on quarterback Brock Purdy to put them in scoring positions and he’s also had a remarkable journey after being the 262nd and last pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Branded as Mr Irrelevant, Purdy is holding the 49ers Super Bowl dreams in his hands against the Kansas City Chiefs and Wishnowsky is loving the chance to be part of his extraordinary rise. “Brock’s amazing,” he said. “I’m just grateful to be part of his story. Mr Irrelevant. Not many people believed in him. He’s still copping it now. “I think it’s incredible what he’s doing. I’m just stoked to be part of the Brock Purdy story. I think he’s amazing. His confidence and how humble he is. I’m a big Brock Purdy fan.”

Perth’s Mitch Wishnowsky excited to use all of his Aussie Rules kicks in Super Bowl for San Francisco 49ers

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