‘Australia, I love you’: US reporter’s verdict on NFL’s ‘gladiator-ish’ MCG spectacle

Cam Inman has covered the NFL and the San Francisco 49ers for the Bay Area News Group since 2000. He first contributed to Fox Sports Australia in 2015 - covering Jarryd Hayne extensively. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area (unless he stays in Oz).

MELBOURNE - The best perk for a sports reporter is not merely attending games — and entering free with a press credential.

Watch an average 6 games per week and every game of the NFL Postseason, LIVE with ESPN on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

Travelling on the company dime and discovering new cultures is our golden ticket.

It brought me here. Finally. Gratefully. Spectacularly.

Australia, I love you. The NFL does, too.

We came from an ocean away, on the other side of the hemisphere and dateline, to watch top-shelf American football debut in Melbourne.

The San Francisco 49ers, a storied franchise I have reported on since Y2K, crafted the smarter itinerary and arrived a week ahead of Friday’s season-opening pageantry against their California rivals, the Los Angeles Rams.

While 49ers players and reporters alike roamed Melbourne’s 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.

Call it a long-term commitment vs. a one-night stand.

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.

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.

“The energy that the Australians have out here were really cool. They’re passionate about sports,” 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy said after a three-touchdown show. “We have 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. They were into it the whole time and they had their different chants and stuff with songs.”

Indeed, Blink-182 makes a glorious stadium anthem.

“They had fun with it,” Purdy added. “So, 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.”

A capacity crowd of 100,021 packed the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground, the seventh-largest attendance in NFL history.

Fans’ 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. “We usually tailgate longer. So that was cool. The stadium was cool, how high it was,” Shanahan said. “It felt gladiator-ish.”

Australians, were you not entertained?

Melbourne proved a phenomenal host, reflecting favourably on Australia as a whole.

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’s 11th hole.

We all drank the flat white, long black, flat white, picollos, and, even better, espresso martinis.

We wandered down Hosier Lane. AC/DC Lane. Hardware Lane.

“We went out in the streets, saw a lot of Niners fans, a lot of people in NFL jerseys,” 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans said. “People recognising us in Australia was crazy. Great atmosphere.”

Not many American stadiums offer a walking path in just minutes from city centre, where you can stride alongside a river that’s being rowed by an eight-person crew, or where you can stroll through a bucolic garden.

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’s mashup.

It’s a centralised yet sophisticated hub that combines aspects from Chicago, New Orleans and San Francisco — three great spots on the NFL circuit.

“It was definitely a great experience, one I think I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life,” 49ers left tackle Trent Williams said. “Obviously, it’s even better when you come out with a win, but we really enjoyed Australia.

“The atmosphere was incredible. The fans were incredible. Australia’s incredible, period.”

READ MORE

‘What do you say to that?’: Famous US pundit left stunned by Aussies in bold NFL declaration

‘Feels like the Super Bowl’: US fans, Aussie NFL trailblazer reacts to wild MCG scenes ‘never seen’ before

‘Ready to fight’: Hilarious ‘crazy’ MCG reveal as US fans say same thing about Aussies

As the Sporting Capital of the World, the NFL showed it can make a grand cameo here. And I have reasons to return otherwise: for tennis, F1, footy, rugby league, maybe cricket if I can ever learn it. And golf, there definitely and always will be more golf.

American football surely will return, either to Melbourne or with a tour stop in Sydney.

That is where this great Down Under journey has taken me for a few days of R&R. Bring me your Sydney Opera House, your Harbour Bridge (thought too steep for me to climb, financially), your Bondi, your Manly, your overall beauty.

Purdy, the 49ers’ star quarterback, told me he’ll someday come back in Australia, eyeing a trip with his wife and growing family. Sydney is atop his destinations.

I beat him to it. I’ll decide on my own if Sydney really is a show pony compared to Melbourne’s acclaimed aura. Got a few g’days left. Now point me to the rugby-league match.

Click here to read article