Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats may have already clinched a berth in the 2013 playoffs, but any notion that the team is going to rest on their laurels and coast into the postseason was quickly and unequivocally shot down on Friday.
“There’s no issue, no lack of motivation,” said defensive lineman Brian Bulcke. “As a team it’s great to accomplish something we set out to do at the beginning of the year, but it’s a small accomplishment. We’ll pat ourselves on the back a little bit, but I think it encourages us to work even harder.”
Bulcke has been praised by his coaches as being one of the most competitive players on the Tiger-Cats, and though much of that is innate in his personality, there is a part of him which draws motivation from a Grey Cup loss last season as a member of the Stampeders.
“Yeah it’s a huge motivator,” he said. “Ever since I got here, a Grey Cup has been my goal. It’s the background on my iPhone, I mean that Cup is a constant focus.”
The third-year pro also believes that a strong run of form for the Ticats – winning six of their last nine games – is another motivator to finish the season on a high note.
“Guys are putting in the work and getting good individual efforts so that’s definitely rewarding” he said. “There’s actually more excitement now that we’ve clinched.”
With four weeks left in the 2013 season, all six playoff spots are nearly spoken for, with only an epic collapse by the Alouettes and a perfect run by the Edmonton Eskimos standing between Montreal’s spot in the postseason. But seeding is still very much up for grabs, and with all four of Hamilton’s remaining games scheduled against divisional opponents, a late-season surge could potentially propel the team to a divisional title.
“The next step is to lock down a home playoff game,” said quarterback Henry Burris. “Our focus doesn’t change, we’re still grinding, we’re hungry, and we’re making sure we’re peaking at the right time, which is right now.”
But the importance of the final stretch goes beyond home-field advantage and a first round bye: for Burris, a couple of wins against the Argonauts and Alouettes could give the Ticats an advantage in the mental side of the game.
“It’s like a precursor to the playoffs, to be able to play against teams that are in our division, that we’re rivals against,” said Burris. “These are teams we know better than anyone else. To be able to see these guys now, play against them, you want to win as many games as possible to gain that mental edge going into the playoffs.”
“To beat Toronto last week was like a bubble bursting for us, but for us to be able to follow it up with a big win this week wold give us a huge mental edge over them,” Burris continued. “Trust me, when teams are successful consistently against certain teams, you’re not just playing them, but you’re playing that mental edge that they have over you as well. We want to be the team winning that edge.”
