Rams DL Kobie Turner admits 16-hour Australia flight is 'no joke'

Not many members of the Los Angeles Rams have made the flight from Southern California to Melbourne, Australia, but Kobie Turner is one of the few who has made that trek. He visited Australia last year before it was even announced that the Rams would be playing a game there in 2026, checking out the Melbourne Cricket Ground – the site of Rams-49ers in Week 1.

Having taken that 16-hour flight to Australia, Turner knows it isn't easy.

“I’m also happy that it’s Game 1 because that flight is no joke – that 16 hours there and 16 back,” Turner said on GMFB Thursday. “To be able to get that out of the way early on Game 1, and to be able to have a full week’s worth of rest is also going to be huge.”

Sean McVay indicated earlier this offseason that the Rams will try to make it as short a trip as they can, feeling confident that they will arrive in Australia after the 49ers do. The Rams typically travel closer to the game than most other teams, flying out on Saturday for a road game on Sunday.

They’ll obviously need to plan further ahead for a game in Australia but don’t expect them to arrive two weeks early.

Travel aside, Turner is excited about the opportunity to bring the NFL’s first regular-season game to Australia this September.

“What an awesome opportunity to bring the NFL and to bring the game of football to a country that’s never had a game before and to be the pioneers, the first people to really bring this experience live to Australia,” he said.

He also likes the fact that if the Rams play well in that game, they could be “immortalized” within the fanbase.

“There’s a chance you have a great game there, within the Australian fanbase, you’re kind of immortalized because we’re the first people to play the game there so super excited to go down there,” he added.

Kickoff for that game will be 10:35 a.m. local time on Friday, Sept. 11, but it will be televised in the U.S. on Thursday night at 8:35 p.m. ET.