There was a time when it seemed like the San Francisco 49ers weren't excited about playing their season opener in Melbourne, Australia, but things worked out perfectly for them in the end.

In March, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he didn't see any pros in the 49ers having to travel to Australia to play the Los Angeles Rams while adding there was "not much benefit" to his team having to play in the game. But the attitude from Shanahan and the team was significantly different following their 27-7 win over the Rams at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.


Everything seemed to go right for the 49ers throughout the trip, from their decision to come early and practice in Australia, to the time they spent in Melbourne, to the one-sided result of the game. The 49ers were all smiles after the win, with both Shanahan and several 49ers players raving about their time Down Under.

"It was definitely a great experience," offensive lineman Trent Williams said. "One I think I'll probably remember the rest of my life. Obviously, it's even better when you come out with the win. But we really enjoyed Australia. The atmosphere was incredible. The fans were incredible. I mean, Australia is incredible, period."

There was much discussion before the game about the 49ers' decision to arrive in Melbourne early as opposed to the Rams choosing to fly in a little over 24 hours before the game. The Rams didn't seem to be second-guessing their strategy despite the loss ("I don't doubt the decision-making of my coach and my organization," Rams defensive end Myles Garrett said, per ESPN), but the 49ers made it clear that they felt their approach paid off.

"I mean, the game worked," Shanahan said. "Win or lose, I knew everyone was going to make a big deal about that for either team. You never know how much that factors into it. You just try to do the best to prepare for three and a half hours. I like how we prepared, but more importantly, I liked how we played."

49ers wide receiver Mike Evans learned after the game that the Rams had shown up around a day earlier and seemed to be taken by surprise.


"Seriously? Oh, dang," Evans said. "I mean, you've got to give your body time to adjust. Obviously, whenever the game's scheduled, you've got to be ready to play. But maybe a few days earlier would have been ideal. But no matter what, we don't care if they came a week or two weeks earlier. We had it on our mind to come out here and execute, and we did that."

The approach came easy for the 49ers given how they handle their trips to the East Coast of the United States. The 49ers have been known to stay at the Greenbrier luxury resort in West Virginia when they have long East Coast trips, so the lengthy stay in Melbourne felt natural.

"We usually go stay at a place for about a week every year when we go play on the East Coast," Shanahan said. "So this was really the same thing for us. It was a much longer flight, 16 hours compared to five. And the time change was a lot different. But once we got here, this is stuff that we're kind of used to. We do a week at the Greenbrier, probably three times since I've been here, and we do the Air Force Academy before we go to Mexico City. And we do that stuff a lot. So once we got here and got used to flying, we kind of like being on the road and being in a hotel, and it helps you lock in to do your job."

This particular trip obviously had a different flavor than their trips to West Virginia. The players got to experience a new country, interact with the locals and learn about what makes Melbourne unique.

"Melbourne was sick," tight end George Kittle said. "...I had a great time here. The fact that we came out early and were here for the whole week, got to immerse ourselves in Melbourne. We were taken great care of. Great hotel, the staff was awesome. We had so much fun drinking coffee and just kind of hanging out for the whole week. It was awesome."


Running back Christian McCaffrey told reporters after the game about a moment he experienced with a particular local slang term that took on quite a different meaning than it does in the United States.

"I was getting a haircut a few days ago," McCaffrey said, "and one of the barbers looks at me and goes, 'Looks cracker.' I was like, 'Sorry, what'd you say?' I didn't know what it meant. I guess that means it looks good, but that was funny. He said it again. I'm like, 'Dude, I hear that every Sunday. That feels awesome.' So that was good. We had a good moment, but I enjoy all the slang."

Once the game arrived, the 49ers were able to enjoy a home-game feel from the 100,000-plus fans in Melbourne Cricket Ground. Fans showed up early and often, despite a 10:30 a.m. start, and stayed in high spirits throughout the game.

"It was cool," Shanahan said. "I think they came earlier than American fans do. It seemed pretty packed and full during pregame warmups, which usually tailgate a little bit longer. So that was cool. The stadium was awesome, just how filled it was and how high it was. It felt gladiator-ish. The difference for us is just how big your guys' footy fields are, so they all felt pretty far away from us, which was a little different, but awesome experience here."

Quarterback Brock Purdy said, "It was awesome. I thought the energy that the Australians have out here was really cool. They're passionate about sports, and I know we've heard that from a lot of people, but being out there, looking around, I was like, 'This is pretty cool, man. It's pretty special.' And they were into it the whole time, and they had their different chants and stuff with songs, and they had fun with it. So, for us to be able to come here to an amazing country, an amazing spot, obviously win, but then to be able to enjoy Melbourne and the week that we were here with all the people, it was a great experience overall. So, shout out to Melbourne and Australia."


Kittle in particular was impressed at the turnout considering the timing of the game.

"The fact that there was a sold-out crowd at 10:30 AM on a Friday in Melbourne, just shout out to everybody who called in sick at work today," Kittle said.

Maybe this won't be the last time the 49ers play in Australia. And if they don't return for a game, it sounds like they'd be more than open to coming back for some rest and relaxation.

"I would," Shanahan said. "It was cool. I'd like to come back when I'm not working, though. Enjoy it a little bit more. People seemed awesome, seemed like a fun place, and just, it's tough to have fun when you're working all week, but maybe next time."

Defensive end Nick Bosa said, "I definitely want to come back. It's kind of motivated me to travel more, so it's been great."


And even if they aren't able to make their way back to Australia, maybe the 49ers left enough of an impression that they'll have some new fans cheering them on from the other side of the world.

"Once we got here, like we were able to go and check out the city a little bit and walk around, and everywhere you went, I was like, 'everyone here is like so generous and like welcoming,'" Purdy said. "And yeah, and I think the fact that like we were here a week early, everyone obviously heard about it, and I think when we jogged out there today and stuff, we definitely felt the love from all the Australians that were pulling for us and stuff. So, I think it was cool that we came out here and we got a good group of dudes and a great organization to come out and represent, obviously the 49ers, but the NFL. So, hopefully we've got a lot of Niner fans out there now that are living here in Australia."

Related News




Follow us on: X, Facebook, Threads, Instagram

Nobody's perfect. Did you find a mistake in this article? Report it.

Read Original Article
Visit 49ers Webzone

More San Francisco 49ers News