LA Rams’ FIFO plan sparks Knight toon ahead of historic MCG clash

Melbourne sees itself as the sporting capital of not just Australia, but of the world. A huge call, but this week was another reason for Melburnians to boast about being the number one venue, when the legendary American National Football League (NFL) came to town to launch its 2026 season at the MCG.

This is no exhibition match; the game between the top of the table rivals the LA Rams (favourites to win the title this year) and the San Francisco 49ers was the real deal: they are playing for points! The game is being slotted into a busy sporting Melbourne spring, with AFL Finals well underway, the Spring Racing Carnival starting soon and the final Moto GP at Phillip Island approaching!

But there was no doubt that American football had taken over the southern city this week, with American tourists seen walking the streets in their club colours and locals who follow the code keen to show their support. I don’t know about you, but I’ve watched a few Super Bowls and to me, they do a lot of standing around discussing things, then it’s 20 seconds of big guys bashing and crashing before we have another meeting. But experts say it is a game of strategic moves and planning, a bit like chess.

We saw some of the strategy even before the game started, with the LA Rams coach announcing that his team would arrive in Melbourne from the US less than a day before the Melbourne game. In a bid to avoid jet lag and keep the team on American time, they would spend as little time as possible in Australia, by flying in, playing the game, then flying out. Sort of like a sporting “FIFO” (fly in-fly out) situation.

The Rams hired a Qantas A380 and the players were accommodated on lay-flat seats and would sleep soundly for the 15 hour flight. The distance? 12,748 km. Glad they didn’t take the team bus!

On the other hand, the 49ers arrived a week before the contest and got to acclimatise*, reset their body clocks to Melbourne time, visit some tourist sites, go to an AFL game at the MCG to see Carlton and Geelong play an elimination final in front of 96,680 people and also have a chance to explore Melbourne’s credentials* as the coffee capital of the world (yet another boast).

Sounds like a relaxing holiday!

The strategy of the Rams was a major talking point both here and back in the States. Would the Rams be yawning during the game or was it a masterstroke* by their coach? I thought I would explore the FIFO concept by the Rams for my cartoon to appear in the Herald Sun on Friday, the morning of the big game.

American football players are so good to draw, with all that shoulder padding, the helmets, the colours and the muscles! I thought about how the LA team was going to hit Melbourne only the day before. I had thoughts of the team getting into their playing kit on the bus as it travelled down the Tullamarine freeway from the airport to the MCG, where they would pull up out the front and run straight through the turnstiles and onto the field. I laughed at the idea.

Yes, it was funny, but challenging to draw in a one-frame cartoon. It would have to be several panels. Too complicated, I thought. Then I considered the idea that this whole trip to bring a major NFL team and all its support staff from LA to Melbourne was comparable to a military campaign.

And that’s when I had visions of the Qantas A380 not landing at Tulla, but instead like US Marines deploying* into a battle zone, the cartoon would show the Rams players parachuting out of the Qantas jet as it flew over the stadium, dressed in their footy gear and gliding onto the MCG playing field at the same time as the 49ers are running out from the change-rooms. I can see the Rams coach saying quietly to himself, “Why didn’t I think of that?!”

Game on!

POLL

GLOSSARY

• acclimatise: to adapt or become accustomed to a new climate or environment
• credentials: the abilities, experience and proof that show a person or place is qualified or suitable for something
• masterstroke: a decision or an action that is very clever and produces success
• deploying: to position, arrange, or put something into active use in an effective or strategic way

EXTRA READING

Aussie teen eyed for quarterback

Aussie makes Super Bowl history

What AFL players of 2050 will look like

QUICK QUIZ

1. Which two American NFL teams are playing at the MCG in Melbourne tonight?
2. How far did the LA Rams travel for the game?
3. What does ‘FIFO’ stand for?
4. How many fans were at the Carlton versus Geelong elimination final?
5. What kind of plane did the FIFO players charter from the US and on which airline?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Humour analysis
After reading and analysing the Mark Knight cartoon in the Kids News explainer, complete the following analysis questions to help you get the full humour out of his drawing.

Mark Knight cartoon analysis:

What is the main issue Mark Knight is highlighting:

Who is portrayed in the cartoon?

How are they portrayed?

What is the humour in the drawing?

Who might agree with his viewpoint?

Who might disagree or possibly be offended by this viewpoint?

Do you think he makes a good point? Explain your answer.

Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Write a response to this cartoon from the viewpoint of one of the people or objects portrayed in the cartoon. Think, what would be their response to the speech bubble and satire from the cartoon.

Write or draw your response below.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Arts, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Describe it
Look at the cartoon and make a list of five nouns that you see. Then describe those five nouns with five adjectives. Now add a preposition to those five nouns and adjectives.

Finally, choose your favourite bundle and put all the words together to make one descriptive sentence.

(For lower reading level articles, remove “add a preposition”)