IT ISN'T hard to forget the penultimate game of Arryn Siposs' AFL career.
A Sunday twilight clash and a disappointing defeat to Gold Coast, in front of just 14,625 frustrated St Kilda fans in an eerily quiet Marvel Stadium.
After a five-year Saints career, Siposs – a 189cm half-forward recruited from the Dandenong Stingrays with a booming right-foot kick – would play his 28th and final game of senior footy a fortnight later.
Fast-forward barely six years and it's hard to fathom the sporting heights Siposs has since reached – and played an integral role in – since committing to Auburn University as a punter in an effort to chase his NFL dream.
His first game having won the starting role at Auburn, a 21-16 win over Washington in September 2018, was played in front of more than 70,000 people at the new state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Meanwhile his next four games, all played at Auburn's famous Jordan-Hare Stadium, drew crowds of more than 80,000 people.
That was just the start of a stunning two-year career with the Tigers that featured some of the biggest feats in college football, and culminated in Siposs officially foregoing the final year of his college eligibility to declare for the NFL Draft in January.
"It's pretty crazy how it works," Siposs told AFL.com.au.
"In Australia, we get maybe two or three times per year where the crowds would be above 80,000 – one being the Grand Final. I was fortunate enough to play in front of crowds where that was the minimum. You play in front of that every single week.
"It's a bit surreal, to be honest. You play with kids between the age of 18 and 22 and they're playing in front of more than 80,000 people every single week. That's something that kids back home couldn't imagine beyond their wildest dreams.
"I'm very lucky to be able to go and do that and play at such a beautiful school with a rich history, playing against some quality opposition. Every single game counts and the atmosphere certainly makes that a lot more special as well."
Siposs' college football career featured two appearances in the Iron Bowl – a storied, classic contest fought annually between two of the sport's longest and most fierce rivals, Alabama and Auburn.
His first Iron Bowl, 21-52 loss, was played in front of 101,821 people in Tuscaloosa. His second, a remarkable 48-45 victory on home soil which ended with Auburn's fans rushing the field, will go down as one of the program's most famous wins.
And the kid from Beaconsfield in Victoria's south-east played a key role.
A last-minute Auburn play design, in which Siposs lined up at wide-receiver instead of his usual punting position to confuse the opposition defence, resulted in an Alabama penalty and a post-match outburst from the university's fabled coach Nick Saban
"That was very satisfying," Siposs laughed, recalling coach Saban's press conference comments in which he described the play as "pretty unfair" and "very disappointing".
It's not every day you get to "piss off" a six-time national championship winner, as Siposs describes it. But it wasn't the only time the former Saint was part of some of the college football season's most memorable moments.
He also featured in a last-gasp victory over Oregon in the season-opener at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys. There was the narrow defeat to an unbeaten LSU side in front of 102,160 people in Baton Rouge. And the Outback Bowl against Minnesota.
That featured Siposs' only passing attempt, when the Aussie gave his best quarterback impression on a designed trick play – only to marginally overthrow his receiver.
"It was a nice spiral, though – at least it didn't get picked off," Siposs laughed.
"But I am very lucky. I've played in some of the most incredible games that will go down in college football history, I truly believe that. I was very, very fortunate to be able to play in some great games."
The life of a punter is unique. In some games, Siposs would be on the field as many as 10 times to perform his role. However, in an ideal world, he wouldn't be seen at all. It makes each punt, and the delivery of that punt, absolutely crucial.
Add giant crowds featuring the most diehard, loyal and often ruthless fans in world sport to the mix and it ramps up the already significant pressures involved in playing the position to a new degree entirely.
"For my role personally, you have to execute every single thing that you do," Siposs said.
"Whether that's me dropping the ball, whether it's me not putting the ball in the right spot … it's things like that, where every touch is crucial.
"Sometimes in the AFL you can get away with one kick not being very good, because it won't have that much of an impact on the game. It's completely different here. You've really got to execute every single time you step on the field."
Siposs, who turns 28 later this year, ranked inside the top-20 nationally for yards-per-punt (44.2 yards) throughout his maiden campaign with Auburn and replicated those stats throughout his sophomore season.
While in an ideal world, he might have enjoyed another year to develop in college football, his age and his late start to punting saw him declare for this year's NFL Draft – which will span across three days from April 23.
That means it's now all-or-nothing as Siposs chases his dream, looking to become the eighth Australian on an NFL roster and the fifth former AFL player behind Darren Bennett, Ben Graham, Sav Rocca and Chris Bryan to make the transition.
"I've got no idea whether I'll be drafted, to be honest," Siposs said.
"It's a tough business to crack into. There are 256 picks, which sounds like a lot. But there's over 1000 guys who are trying to get on a roster and have a shot at making it to the league.
"Punters and kickers aren't normally the guys who they go for in the draft, you have to be doing something exceptional.
"But I truly believe that with what I've been able to show throughout my two years at Auburn, that I've given myself every chance to get my name called out when that time comes."
