Rams, $700 ticket buyers dudded amid NFL’s wild Melbourne success
Coming into Friday’s NFL Melbourne extravaganza, there were a few key questions that were set to define whether the event was a success.
Would it be a sell out? Would the MCG viewing experience be good enough? Was the MCG the right venue for this historic occasion? Would the Rams regret shunning the Australian community by flying in the day before the game?
The NFL Melbourne game pre-game spectacle. The Age
The answers: Yes, sorta, yes and yes.
It was unquestionably a sell out, with 100,021 fans filling the stadium to the gills, despite the price point for resale tickets sitting over $600 for the cheapest seats as recently as last week.
Fans filled every corner of the ’G and Melbourne was buzzing as early as 6am, for the 10:35am AEST kick off, before the 49ers battered the Rams 27-7.
Beers were flowing, breakfast nachos and hot dogs were being consumed in droves; You wouldn’t know it was an ordinary work day in Melbourne.
Of course, prices were significantly marked up inside the MCG. A Hard Rated Lemon, which was $15.50 for a can at last week’s Geelong-Carlton elimination final, was $17.50 suddenly.
A small tub of chicken strips was $20 and a 500ml beer was a wild $21.
It didn’t seem to be stopping anyone, however, with lines for the MCG’s one-off American-style menu offerings hooping around corners.
The biggest point of contention when the MCG was announced was the viewing experience. An NFL field is narrow. More narrow than even the NRL, which held its State of Origin at the MCG with great success earlier in the year.
The difference, however, is the NFL field is even further from fans watching from the stands inside the enormous coliseum, and you have a sideline full of people and equipment standing between you and the field.
And the view from level one, row one, was as restricted as it gets. Fans sitting in the front row were lucky to see the helmets of players, let alone any actual action.
One punter sitting in the Shane Warne Stand at effectively the 50-yard line, right in the middle of the field on level one, row one, said he spent $700 on the ticket. He couldn’t see a thing.
Still, the man, a Texas native, was having a great time. 49ers legend Jerry Rice had just come around to sign autographs, the cheerleaders were in full flight and the big screen showed all the action.
Unquestionably however, those in the closest seats to the field couldn’t see a thing. And those tickets weren’t cheap, discounted, or marked as restricted viewing.
Those further back, under the shade of the stands, had a decent view and anybody up a level had it perfect.
The NFL hits the MCG. Getty
Up on level four, where it can sometimes be hard to pick out AFL action on the far wing, you had a perfect view of the action.
The MCG looked as pretty as a picture. The size, scale and shape of the stadium made for a unique viewing experience the NFL has never before seen.
Punters who bought front-row seats aside, it’s difficult to imagine anyone else left the MCG on Friday afternoon disappointed with the spectacle.
The Jonas Brothers took centre stage at half time and delivered a quick-fire performance. Their own music received a middling response from the crowd, but then they played the John Farnham card to great success.
The final question surrounded the Rams, who flew in Thursday morning just 27 hours before the game, and will fly out Friday night having spent as little time in Australia as humanly possible.
Many questioned whether this tactic would be effective, and not just because of the jet lag and performance issues naturally created from flying in so close to the game and attempting to remain on your local rhythms.
They also gave the Melbourne community nothing. While the 49ers flew in eight days before the game and spent the week mingling and winning over fans, the Rams couldn't have shown any greater disdain for being here.
The MCG was at full capacity. AP Photo/Scott Barbour
Head coach Sean McVay showed his displeasure in the weeks leading up to the game, as did star receiver Puca Nacua.
All while the Niners’ players and staff were heading to AFL finals, jumping on local radio and winning over hearts and minds.
And it worked. The 49ers were always going to have the crowd majority, as one of the league's biggest teams, but their work in the community coupled with the Rams' complete absence was certainly an enormous factor.
San Francisco was cheered like the home team, while Los Angeles was booed like they were GWS travelling to the MCG to play Richmond in a final. LA gave up a home game to take over Melbourne, and it certainly backfired.
It was an odd experience. The ground announcer was desperately attempting to get fans on the Rams’ side, they had cheerleaders, they had ground activations and signs – but well over 90 per cent of the fans were in the other corner.
Ultimately, it was as total a 49ers victory as you could possibly imagine. They crushed the Rams on the field, had the full support of the crowd and won the goodwill of the whole city.
Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers. Getty Images
The Rams meanwhile will have spent 32 of the last 48 hours on a plane and leave Melbourne with nothing to show for it. All while being, allegedly, the face of the NFL in Australia.
They will likely remain the home team for future Australian games, and the NFL will unquestionably be back, be it 2027 or 2028. Maybe LA will show up a little earlier next time and attempt to win the crowd back.
With the game decided late in the fourth quarter, fans turned to what they know best. A Mexican Wave. Likely not something NFL players are used to during live play. It summed up what was truly a unique atmosphere for the game.
Maybe chuck a discount on those front row seats next time. Otherwise, top marks.
