On the back of Jarryd Hayne's blistering start to his bid for an NFL contract, we take a look at the Australians who have cut the mustard in American football and those who weren't so fortunate.

Aussie NFL success stories

No.9 Colin Ridgway - The pioneer who blazed the trail for Australians in the American game. The Olympic and Commonwealth Games high jumper, who also played for Carlton's reserves in the 1960s, became the first Australian to play an NFL game in 1965 when he ran out for the Dallas Cowboys as a punter. He featured in a total of three games for the Cowboys.

No.8 Chris Bryan – After playing 46 games for Carlton and Collingwood between 2005-2009, Bryan chased his dream of playing in the NFL in 2010 and succeeded when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers used him as a punter in four games. Bryan spent 18 months in the NFL system and was also contracted by the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets, but failed to play a game for either club.

No.7 Colin Scotts – After growing up as a rugby player, Scotts made history by becoming the first Australian to receive an American football scholarship in the US and be drafted into the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals selected him with pick No.70 in the 1987 draft and he ended up playing seven games for the club both as a defensive end and tight end.

No.6 David Lonie – An all-round sportsman who was adept in pole vault, javelin, soccer, water polo and decathlon, Lonie played eight games in 2007 with the Green Bay Packers as a punter before a nasty ankle injury brought a premature end to his NFL career. The Gosford product was originally signed by the Washington Redskins but failed to play a game for them.

No.5 Brad Wing – An active member of the Pittsburgh Steelers roster, the 23-year-old has been plying his trade in the NFL since 2013 when he was originally recruited by the Seattle Seahawks. Since joining the Steelers in 2014, the punter has featured in 16 games. Originally played for Sandringham in the TAC Cup and spent his college career at Louisiana State.

No.4 Saverio Rocca – One of the VFL/AFL's all-time great goalkickers with 748 majors from 257 games with Collingwood and North Melbourne between 1992 and 2006. Noted for having one of the biggest kicks in Australian football over his illustrious career, he tried his hand at the American game in 2007 and made a success of himself with 112 appearances as a punter for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins over seven years (2007-2013). Lost the 2008 NFC Championship match to fellow Australian Ben Graham's Arizona Cardinals and was therefore denied the chance to play in a Super Bowl. Broke the NFL record for the oldest rookie when he strutted out for the Eagles as a 33-year-old on debut.

No.3 Ben Graham – Like Rocca, was renowned as one of the biggest kicks in the AFL during his 12 years at Geelong, which yielded 219 games and 145 goals. After a few teething problems, Graham became a mainstay on the NFL scene as a punter and, after becoming an NFC champion, made history in 2009 when he became the first Australian to feature in a Super Bowl, which his side, the Cardinals, lost 27-23 to the Steelers. Graham also holds the distinction as the only person to play in an AFL grand final (in 1995 with Geelong) and an NFL Super Bowl. Between 2005 and 2012, Graham played 99 games for the Jets, New Orleans Saints, Cardinals and Detroit Lions. Graham captained the Jets at one stage, too, which also made him the only person to captain an NFL and an AFL team.

No.2 Mat McBriar – Played Australian rules for Brighton Grammar School and Deakin University but found his true calling as a professional sportsman when he travelled to the US to purse a career as a punter in American football. He impressed in three years with the University of Hawaii and made his NFL debut in 2003 for the Dallas Cowboys where he would spend eight seasons. McBriar went on to become one of Australia's biggest NFL success stories and played 141 games for the Cowboys, Eagles, Steelers and San Diego Chargers. In 2006, he broke the Cowboys' record for yards-per-punt average (48.2). He also featured in two Pro Bowls in 2006 and 2010.

No.1 Darren Bennett – Undoubtedly the biggest Australian success story in NFL history. After an impressive VFL/AFL career, which saw him kick 215 goals from just 78 games with West Coast and Melbourne, Bennett travelled to America and became a legendary punter for the Chargers. He is a member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame, the Chargers 50th Anniversary Team and the Chargers 40th Anniversary Team. He was also a two-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time All-Pro selection. After 10 seasons with San Diego (1994-2003), he finished his career with the Minnesota Vikings (2004-2005). Bennett played 159 NFL games, an Australian record.

Aussies currently in the NFL

There are three Australians on NFL rosters: Wing, Jesse Williams (Seahawks) and Tom Hornsey (Cowboys).

Jarryd Hayne is trying his best to join them and has so far impressed greatly in pre-season games with the San Francisco 49ers. Some NFL pundits in the US believe the former NRL superstar will almost certainly be picked up by the 49ers.

Williams made history by not only becoming the first Indigenous Australian to be signed by an NFL team but also the first Australian to win a Super Bowl ring despite injuring his knee and failing to play a game during the Seahawks' successful 2013 campaign.

A knee injury also sidelined Williams for the 2014 season and after recently overcoming a bout of cancer, he will hope to finally make his debut this season.

Noteworthy Aussies who tried but failed to carve out an NFL career

For every success story there are bound to be a couple of hard-luck yarns and a few former AFL players fall into this category.

Rocca's brother Anthony, who was a Collingwood star and also noted for his long kicking, actually signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007. But he reportedly turned his back on an NFL career due to homesickness.

Nathan Chapman, who played 76 games for Brisbane and Hawthorn, also took a punt at American football and earned a contract with the Packers in 2004. But he could only manage three pre-season games.