The San Francisco 49ers have mixed emotions about playing in Australia again, despite scoring an upset victory in front of a bumper crowd that favoured them.
The Niners stunned bitter rivals the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 in Melbourne on Friday in the first regular-season game held Down Under, in front of the second-biggest international crowd in NFL history.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: NFL star Christian McCaffrey stumped by Aussie barber’s slang
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San Francisco drew thunderous cheers when they ran out on to the field, and the MCG rattled when they scored.
One player who really thrived off the 100,021-strong crowd was 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
“It was nice that this was the first game of the year for us,” Purdy said.
“It was pretty special. They (the crowd) were into it the whole time, and they had their different chants and stuff with songs.”
But he said if they were to play again in Australia, it would have to be in week one of the season, like Friday’s fixture.
“Once we’re in season and we’re going through the grind of it, travel becomes a thing,” Purdy said.
“Overall, the experience here was amazing, and we’d love to be able to come back and play in front of the people here.”
The two English-speaking countries and longtime allies could hardly be more different though, as star running back Christian McCaffrey learnt the hard way.
“I was getting a haircut a few days ago, and one of the barbers looks at me and goes, ‘Looks cracker’,” McCaffrey said with a beaming smile after Friday’s win, sending the press pack into a fit of laughter.
“And I was like, ‘Sorry, what did you say?’ I didn’t know what it meant. I guess that means it looks good, but that was funny.”
McCaffrey lived up to his superstar billing at the MCG, rushing for a game-high 68 yards.
It seems unlikely Australia’s 49ers faithful will see their team again in the near future, considering the franchise doesn’t have marketing rights in the country, unlike the Rams.
But Victoria has inked a deal to host at least two games over four years, with an option for a third.
Melbourne’s fixture came as the NFL is staging a record nine international matches this campaign, and commissioner Roger Goodell said he wants every team to play once in a foreign market each season, for a total of 16.
Regardless, the NFL’s bold decision to host a game in Melbourne did draw criticism from Niners mentor Kyle Shanahan, who said there was “not much benefit” to his team playing in Australia earlier in the year.
“(I have) nothing against Australia,” the coach said on Friday.
“I just don’t like to travel … I’d like to come back when I’m not working, though.”
