San Francisco 49ers wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling will take the field for his first NFL regular season game inside of a cricket pitch in Australia roughly 7,900 miles from Levi's Stadium.
While Stribling surely hopes to leave Australia with a victory, he has a much different hope for the one thing he's hoping to see or do while the team is in the Southern Hemisphere.
"Yeah, I kind of want to see a kangaroo," Stribling told reporters in the locker room after Tuesday's practice. "Just because. You know, see how big they are. So that's really it."
There's a pretty good chance Stribling will get his wish, particularly if he goes looking for one. As of 2023, there were around 35 million kangaroos living in Australia per the Australian government’s
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (h/t GoEco.org).
Stribling should have plenty of time to go out searching for a kangaroo since they're not particularly difficult to find and the 49ers will have a ton of time in Australia before their game on Friday in Australia (Thursday in the United States). The 49ers arrive in Australia on Friday (Australia time), they have a bonus practice Saturday and then some down time until their practice week begins.
If the 49ers can get a victory in Stribling's first ever NFL game and he gets to see a kangaroo, it'll be a perfect first road trip for the rookie.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers rookie WR wants 1 specific thing when team visits Australia
