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Los Angeles: When the Los Angeles Rams come to the MCG for the first regular-season NFL game in Australia, they could well be playing at the strange time of 10am, after a period of adjustment following a 14-hour flight.
If this sounds less than convenient – the morning start, if it happens, would be for the benefit of a vast TV audience in the US – the Rams players don’t care about how long they travel, about the unusual size of the MCG, or the potential for a weird starting time.
Ethan Evans shapes for a drop punt-style kick as the Los Angeles Rams take on the New Orleans Saints.Credit: Los Angeles Rams
“[It] makes no difference to me,” said star LA running back Kyren Williams in one of a series of interviews this week organised for Australian media by the Rams, who have struck a deal with the Victorian government that will see the Rams play an as-yet-unnamed opponent in the week of the AFL semi-finals.
“I’ll play wherever, wherever they tell us the ball’s going to be kicked off I’ll go play,” said Williams.
“I do know it’s a long flight but, other than that, I don’t worry about anything else.
“For me, being able to play the game of football, from what it is in my frontyard... playing in a different country is honestly a blessing from the Lord, to be able to take football this far, and I’m able to have my family with me.”
This was the prevailing view of the five players who met a travelling troupe of Australians, which included ex-Geelong captain and Super Bowl punter Ben Graham, who has become Channel Seven’s Australian voice on the NFL, as sport’s largest league seeks a larger global footprint.
Kobie Turner pressures San Francisco quarterback Mac Jones.Credit: Los Angeles Rams
Kobie Turner, the team’s imposing defensive end (who gets after the opposition’s quarterback), visited Melbourne in June as part of a Rams delegation and saw Carlton get beaten by North Melbourne.
“It was awesome,” he said.
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“To be able to see the MCG, too, like it’s huge. I’m super stoked to be there – had a blast, and I’m definitely looking forward to being back. I like the chilliness, too. When we went it was a little bit colder.”
Turner, who went to the MCG with leviathan teammate and offensive lineman Steve Avila, was struck by the vast dimensions of the MCG, compared with NFL fields.
“I feel like it’s different, I think just the dimensions of the field were different for me to process, too, because it’s set up obviously for footy, so it’s just huge,” he said.
“I don’t know how they’re going to set it up, but I know it’s going to be awesome. To just be able to be at a spot that has so much history, and to be able to have the first game at the MCG, that’s going to be an awesome thing.”
The Rams’ punter, Ethan Evans, hadn’t been out on the ’G. But his understanding of Australian football – specifically the code’s influence on the punting game (which is what Americans call kicking) – is considerable.
Los Angeles Rams star Kyren Williams goes on a daring run against the Jacksonville Jaguars.Credit: Los Angeles Rams
Evans learnt how to kick a drop punt – not so much bend it like Beckham, but drop punt it like Daicos – in large part by watching the burgeoning class of Australians who kick in either the NFL or American college football; he said he would kick a couple of drop punts this Sunday (local time) when the Rams play divisional rivals Seattle in one of their season’s most consequential games.
Evans, indeed, has kicked a Sherrin – having punted with Aussies, including his opposing punter this weekend, former Sydney Swans reserves player Michael Dickson.
“Yes, when I first started punting in high school... it made punting a bit easier... I looked at all the Australian guys, how they did it.”
Evans called the Sherrin a “really fun ball to kick”, noting that what they call “spirals” – a torp, in Australia – is easier to complete with the Australian football than the pointy NFL version.
Kobie Turner on his visit to the MCG in June 2025 to watch Carlton take on North Melbourne.Credit: AFL Photos
“Kicking a spiral with a Sherrin is actually pretty cool because you can kick the shit out of it,” he said.
Whatever they make of this strange oval and vast field, the LA Rams take the view that they’re gaining from the expedition.
“If anything, it’s an experience for guys,” said veteran tight end Tyler Higbee. “My first time leaving the United States was my rookie year to go play a game in London, but it cultured me a little bit.
“It allows a team to come together.”
Jake Niall travelled to Los Angeles as a guest of the Rams.
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