CFL.ca
When the Saskatchewan Roughriders hit the field on Sunday, they’ll do it with an entire province holding their breath.
“Could you imagine this place if they win” has been uttered countless times by anyone who bleeds green since they beat the BC Lions in the Western Semi-Final.
Fans want a party unlike anything ever seen before in Saskatchewan. Yes, the team has been to Grey Cups before. The Green Mile was swarmed by fans in 2007, house parties cracked the champagne in 1989 and yes, there has been plenty of heartbreak as well.
But nothing will match their team playing for it all in their own province, in their own city and their own stadium.
Of course the opposition, have been quite clear this week they’d like nothing more than ruin that party.
Revenge? Absolutely. Calgary was hoping for a home town party in 2009 before the Riders painted Calgary green for Grey Cup Week.
This will be the third time in five years the two sides meet in the Western Final. The Riders won the first two with a stable of young first or second year starters led by quarterback Darian Durant.
Like many of the team’s leaders, Durant is now three full seasons older and wiser.
Weston Dressler and Keith Shologan are among that crop of young Riders who were getting comfortable heading to consecutive Grey Cups. Now, after back to back seasons of not even getting to the Western Final, they’re happy to be back.
“I think you just appreciate the situation a little bit more as you get older. You realize you don’t always have the opportunity to play in a Western Final,” says Dressler.
“You don’t always have an opportunity to move on in the playoffs so you learn to appreciate the moment more and savour it a little bit more and sometimes that will allow you to dig a little bit deeper than you think you can.”
Experience is something that you can’t teach. Only being there and feeling the heartbreak can fuel you to return for another chance.
While the Riders added Grey Cup Champions like Geroy Simon, Ricky Foley, John Chick, Jermaine McElveen and Dwight Anderson in the off-season, there is still a crop of players who have never experienced a championship game at the pro level. Taj Smith, Ben Heenan, Xavier Fulton, Craig Butler and Alex Hall are among the big name Riders who are in a Final for the first time.
Shologan hopes they were paying attention last week to the sacrifice and effort put forth by the veterans who know what it takes to get the job done.
“They need to see us going out there like last game in that weather, I could barely breathe after coming in and I hope they see that and when it comes down to it just go hard and realize that you’re not coming into work next week if you lose this game.”
But the challenge ahead is daunting. The Riders have not won a game at McMahon Stadium since that 2010 West Final.
While the two teams are close on paper, it’s the Stampeders who won the season series and the right to play host on Sunday.
Will it be a game similar to the one played just three weeks ago, with the Stamps winning by just four points?
Many expect it to turn out that way, maybe not with the Stamps winning, but certainly with the game being decided in the final minutes.
“Anytime you have two good teams playing each other you expect a close football game and we’re definitely expecting a dog fight on Sunday,” explains Dressler.
“We’re prepared for it and we know they’re going to make some plays and throughout the game we just have to keep our cool and keep our composure throughout the game and make more plays than they do.”
While Dressler speaks for the offence, the message is the same from his fellow veteran on defence when speaking about stopping Jon Cornish.
“Don’t let him control the ball game,” states Shologan.
“He can pick up his five yards here, seven yards there, but if you get him out the next play and they’re kicking the ball for a punt then we’ve done our job. I’m not worried about yardage, I’m just worried about not letting him control the football game because he’s a good back and he’s done that in the past.”
As for the potential party that would ensue if the Riders were to pull off the upset on Sunday, Dressler says he’d love to experience it, but the team’s attention can’t waver from the task at hand.
“You obviously know what comes next if you win this game but you also know what comes next if you don’t win this game.”
