Mitchell Blair
As the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders get ready to resume what is a hostile rivalry in the CFL West Final Sunday afternoon, Riders defensive lineman Ricky Foley might sum it up the best when it comes to the attitudes of the two teams that will fight it out with the winner coming to Mosaic Stadium to represent the West in Grey Cup 101.
“We hate them, they hate us,” Foley surmised. “They want to hit us in the mouth; we want to hit them in the mouth. It’s going to be one of those physical football games that you see in the West and in the end hopefully we are off to the Grey Cup.”
While Foley admits to hating his opponents that will line up on the other side of the ball Sunday afternoon, he says you can’t help but respect them as well.
“You can hate someone and respect them at the same time,” Foley said. “I hate their guts, but I do respect them. You have to respect the fact they won the West last year and they were the best team in the division during the regular season. We battled for first place all year, they gave us one and we gave them one and I really think we should have won that last one. It’s one more game against them and I’m thinking they want to take it to us the way we want to take it to them. I’m looking forward to it.”
Weston Dressler is also looking forward to strapping the helmet on and taking on a Calgary team at a stadium where the Riders haven’t won since the 2010 final. He says it will be a game featuring two teams that almost mirror one another.
“There’s not a lot separating us,” Dressler admitted. “It’s two good football teams that have had some good battles against one another over the years. We haven’t had a lot of success there recently, but it’s a back and forth battle. We have had a lot of good games against one another with one team getting that last break and that last bounce. You never know when that play is going to come so we just have to be prepared to be in good position and win it at the end.”
One could say there is more pressure on the visiting team going into this game because that team would conceivably be playing in front of their home fans and on their home turf Sunday. Dressler says as far as he is concerned though there is no pressure for a very good reason.
“We know there are a lot of people who will stop doing what they are doing and get consumed in what we are doing Sunday, but I can honestly tell you that as much as the fans want to see us in that game, we want it more.” Dressler said. “We want to be there just as much as anyone else. It’s the goal of each team each year to get to the Grey Cup and it doesn’t matter if the game is at home or elsewhere. You work for this all season and we are happy to have an opportunity to win one more game to get to the Grey Cup. I just want to go out there and give it my all against a very good team.”
Head Coach Corey Chamblin has heard the talk about the hate and the respect that both teams have for one another, but he isn’t buying it 100 percent.
“Those guys don’t hate each other!” Chamblin said. “If you hate one another, you don’t hang out with them in the off-season. If you hate someone, you don’t talk to them. What there is though is a competitive fire and it’s big on both teams because they get their emotions revved up when they get on the field. The respect factor is high too because we know they’re a good football team and they know we’re a good football team. At the end of the day, emotions can boil over and both teams have to be careful of that, but it’s the best two football teams in the West going at it one last time and that is what we are focused on this week.”
The team will practice Thursday and Friday before leaving for Calgary. Game time Sunday afternoon is 3:30 Saskatchewan time.
