NFL in Australia: San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan not happy about being scheduled to play in Melbourne

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan hasn’t hidden his displeasure at his team being scheduled to play in September’s historic NFL game in Australia, saying he couldn’t see “any pro” to making the trip.

The Niners will take on the LA Rams at the MCG on September 11 in what will be the league’s first foray Down Under.

While Shanahan endorsed the league’s push to expand globally, with the fixture to be one of nine games held outside the US next season, he wasn’t happy about his team being drawn to take on the long-haul flight.

When asked if he was fired up for the game, Shanahan sarcastically replied: “I was so fired up.”

“That was our goal, to go 19 hours away to play a game,” he said.

“It is what it is. We’ll deal with it. And I think there’s (nine) international games. We’ve got two of them, so we’re fired up about that.”

Shanahan was then queried as to whether he could see any positives to making the challenging trip, to which he answered “No, not at all.”

“I don’t see any pro,” Shanahan said.

“It’s cool for the league to play globally. I think that’s awesome.

“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 1.”

The 49ers are expected to arrive in Australia around five to seven days before the game, which will be both teams’ first of the season.

San Francisco are considered one of the NFL’s leading title contenders entering next season. The Niners are on the fifth line of betting following their divisional playoff defeat to eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle last season.