Kyle Shanahan has warmed to Australia.
His grievance with Los Angeles, however, remains fully intact.
After spending several days in Melbourne ahead of San Francisco’s Week 1 showdown with the Rams, Shanahan acknowledged that his initial frustration with the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia has softened.
“When I said that, that was nothing against Australia or anything,” Shanahan said Sunday. “That’s just about competition and how important our 17 games are.”
Shanahan’s issue has always centered on which Rams home game was shipped nearly 8,000 miles away from SoFi Stadium.
San Francisco fans have routinely flooded the Rams’ home venue when the NFC West rivals meet in Los Angeles, often making one of the 49ers’ road games feel considerably less hostile.
“I see it as one home game a year in L.A., just the way our fans take over that stadium,” Shanahan said. “So, it was disappointing to let them off the hook and get them out of that.”
Moving the matchup overseas may not solve that problem.
The 49ers are reportedly the NFL’s most popular team in Australia, while the Rams rank seventh, creating the possibility that the historic Australia opener could again feel more like a 49ers home game.
After seeing the reception his team has received in Melbourne, Shanahan now suspects the Rams may find that out firsthand.
“Knowing how our fans roll, I have a feeling it won’t be much different here,” Shanahan said. “I expect to have a good showing.”
Fred Warner is hoping for something even more dramatic.
“The hope is that it’s a sea of red,” Warner said. “The Faithful, in my opinion, are the best fans in the world. We always travel no matter the situation, where we’re going, whether it’s in the States, out of the States.”
Shanahan’s complaints also extend beyond crowd advantage.
San Francisco traveled to Melbourne more than a week before kickoff to adjust to the time difference and lengthy flight, an enormous logistical undertaking for one of only 17 regular-season games.
And this is not an ordinary interconference matchup. It is a division game that could eventually matter in NFC West tiebreakers, with both teams expected to contend. Los Angeles will serve as the designated home team as the NFL stages its first regular-season game in Australia.
Still, actually arriving in Melbourne appears to have softened Shanahan’s stance on the experience itself.
“This is the right time to be here,” he said. “It’s the right place to be and it’s the right team to go against.”
Shanahan may be enjoying Australia more than he expected.
And if Shanahan is right, the Rams didn’t escape a 49ers takeover. They just moved it to Melbourne.
