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Travelling on the company dime and discovering new cultures is our golden ticket.<\/p>\n
It brought me here. Finally. Gratefully. Spectacularly.<\/p>\n
Australia, I love you. The NFL does, too.<\/p>\n
We came from an ocean away, on the other side of the hemisphere and dateline, to watch top-shelf American football debut in Melbourne.<\/p>\n
The San Francisco 49ers, a storied franchise I have reported on since Y2K, crafted the smarter itinerary and arrived a week ahead of Friday\u2019s season-opening pageantry against their California rivals, the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n
While 49ers players and reporters alike roamed Melbourne\u2019s laneways and relied on its coffee culture to stay awake for days on end, the Rams took an opposite and arrived the morning prior for just an overnighter before the 10:35am kick-off.<\/p>\n
Call it a long-term commitment vs. a one-night stand.<\/p>\n
McVay: ‘This is a humbling day for us’ | 01:07<\/p>\n
The 49ers came away satisfied and glorified. The Super Bowl-favourite Rams were left to take a walk of shame, with their kangaroo tails tucked firmly between their L.A. legs, if you will.<\/p>\n
Trans-Pacific jet lag now can be measured by an NFL scoreboard: the 49ers won 27-7, as the sleepwalking Rams got outscored 17-0 after the Jonas Brothers halftime show<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe energy that the Australians have out here were really cool. They\u2019re passionate about sports,\u201d 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy said after a three-touchdown show. \u201cWe have heard that from a lot of people, but being out there, looking around, I was like, this is pretty cool, man. It\u2019s pretty special. They were into it the whole time and they had their different chants and stuff with songs.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, Blink-182 makes a glorious stadium anthem.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had fun with it,\u201d Purdy added. \u201cSo, for us to be able to come here to an amazing country and amazing spot, win, and 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 Melbourne and Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n A capacity crowd of 100,021 packed the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground, the seventh-largest attendance in NFL history.<\/p>\n Fans\u2019 early arrival for warm-ups surprised 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who noted that beer-swilling, barbecue-grilling fans typically are delayed on the U.S. mainland. \u201cWe usually tailgate longer. So that was cool. The stadium was cool, how high it was,\u201d Shanahan said. \u201cIt felt gladiator-ish.\u201d<\/p>\n Australians, were you not entertained?<\/p>\n Melbourne proved a phenomenal host, reflecting favourably on Australia as a whole.<\/p>\n Of course, some of us sought out kangaroos, koalas, and penguins, while others (see: me) settled for cockatoos near my wayward golf ball at Commonwealth\u2019s 11th hole.<\/p>\n We all drank the flat white, long black, flat white, picollos, and, even better, espresso martinis.<\/p>\n We wandered down Hosier Lane. AC\/DC Lane. Hardware Lane.<\/p>\n \u201cWe went out in the streets, saw a lot of Niners fans, a lot of people in NFL jerseys,\u201d 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans said. \u201cPeople recognising us in Australia was crazy. Great atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n Not many American stadiums offer a walking path in just minutes from city centre, where you can stride alongside a river that\u2019s being rowed by an eight-person crew, or where you can stroll through a bucolic garden.<\/p>\n Never, in probably 300 road trips to cover NFL games, have I been deluged by so many recommendations on where to eat, drink, and explore, all courtesy of proud locals and experienced visitors who knew just how mad I would fall for Melbourne\u2019s mashup.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a centralised yet sophisticated hub that combines aspects from Chicago, New Orleans and San Francisco \u2014 three great spots on the NFL circuit.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was definitely a great experience, one I think I\u2019ll probably remember for the rest of my life,\u201d 49ers left tackle Trent Williams said. \u201cObviously, it\u2019s even better when you come out with a win, but we really enjoyed Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cThe atmosphere was incredible. The fans were incredible. Australia\u2019s incredible, period.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/p>\n \u2018What do you say to that?\u2019: Famous US pundit left stunned by Aussies in bold NFL declaration<\/a><\/p>\n \ufeff\u2018Feels like the Super Bowl\u2019: US fans, Aussie NFL trailblazer reacts to wild MCG scenes \u2018never seen\u2019 before<\/a><\/p>\n