- Scathing comments made by Kyle Shanahan
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has taken aim at the NFL’s decision to schedule a match at Australia’s iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The 49ers are set to take on the LA Rams at the MCG on September 11, in what will be the competition’s first official regular-season match in Australia.
Although Shanahan believes in expanding the game on the global stage, he has expressed his frustration with his side having to travel the huge distance to the Victorian capital.
Asked if he saw any positives to making the trip Down Under, he shot the match down with four words: ‘No, not at all.’
‘It’s cool for the league to play globally. I think that’s awesome,’ Shanahan said.
‘But as far as the team doing it, no, there’s not much benefit to it. Sometimes it’s nice to get a bye week after but doesn’t happen in week one.’
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan (pictured) has slammed the decision to take an NFL match to Australia
The 49ers are not keen on the 19-hour flight Down Under for the game at the MCG
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (pictured) is set to be one of the key players in the historic match
Shanahan’s comments have come as the scheduling of the match raises concerns about a clash with an AFL match.
The NFL game falls in week two of the AFL finals, and it’s possible the MCG could have to be reconfigured urgently if one or two Victorian clubs win hosting rights.
However, Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive Stuart Fox insists there is a plan in place if any problems arise.
‘We’ve obviously worked with the AFL on this issue, and we don’t know what we’re working with yet, and we won’t know until five or six days out,’ he said.
‘We’re ready to play a game of AFL if needed, the next night or twilight, and we’re also available the next day after that, on Sunday.’
The AFL has rarely hosted a week-two finals fixture on a Sunday, with the league usually opting to play on Friday and Saturday to maximise preparation time for the preliminary finals.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said the league wasn’t blindsided by the NFL date announcement.
‘We’ve got Marvel Stadium. We’ve got the MCG, which will be available Saturday and Sunday. In the corresponding weekend last year, there were no finals in Melbourne,’ Dillon said.
‘We’ve got options, and that’s the important thing.’
