No short cut to hosting West final

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/09/2023 (769 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a lot of work to do if they want to host the West Division final for a third straight year.

The Blue and Gold, who are tied for the division lead with the B.C. Lions at 10-4, better hope they made the most of last week’s bye as their final four regular season contests will go a long way in determining whether or not they’ll end the year sipping from the silver mug.

It all starts Friday at IG Field at 7 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s Grey Cup when the beasts from the East, the 12-1 Toronto Argonauts, come to town.

The Bombers set themselves up for a dramatic finish after a poor showing in Hamilton two weeks ago in a 29-23 loss to the Tiger-Cats (6-8).

The Argos beat the Ticats 29-14 at BMO Field on Saturday.

“There’s reasons why you win and lose and the games we lost the reasons are very apparent.”–Adam Bighill

“I think more often than not, we’ve played really, really good football. But we’ve also showed that there are some things that if we don’t do them the right way, we’re going to get hurt,” said linebacker Adam Bighill on Monday after the team’s first practice back.

“That’s just like anybody in football. There’s reasons why you win and lose and the games we lost the reasons are very apparent. So, are we where we deserve to be right now? I mean, yeah.”

The last two seasons saw the Bombers clinch the West crown with three games remaining on the schedule. It’s a luxury the club didn’t earn this season thanks to some uncharacteristic performances, especially on the road.

“I didn’t personally really like that. It’s more of a mental battle to compete when you know where you’re going to be on a certain date. For us, I feel this is a benefit. It keeps us competitive, keeps us playing like how we want to play with that fire underneath us,” said receiver Drew Wolitarsky.

“In the past we’ve played games where we sat some guys, but this is kind of where we want to be, man. We want to stay competitive all the way until the end. In 2019, looking at that year, it was competitive until the end and it kept that fire in us and that’s something I personally enjoy having.”

In recent memory, the Bombers have lacked fire in games before a break. The Bombers have now gone into four of their last five bye weeks with losses dating back to last season.

“Psychologically I think that if you know rest is coming, your body just starts to rest. I think that’s something we’ve tried fighting over the years,” said Wolitarsky.

“That’s just my perspective of it and my subjective opinion. But we played a bad game in Hamilton. We made a lot of turnovers, we weren’t clean, didn’t execute well, and didn’t have that spark.”

They’ll need to find that spark as Toronto will be the toughest test they’ve had all season. It doesn’t get any easier the following week as the Bombers will then take on the Lions at B.C. Place in a game that could ultimately decide who earns the bye out of the West. The Bombers will then welcome the Edmonton Elks (Oct. 21) to IG Field before wrapping up the regular season in Calgary (Oct. 27) against the Stampeders (4-10). Things are a bit easier for the Lions as they got the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-8) at home on Friday, then the Bombers, followed by a game in Hamilton (Oct. 13), and then the Stamps at home (Oct. 20).

The good news in Bomberland this week is they are 12-1 after byes dating back to 2017.

“We haven’t had as consistent of a season as we’d like, but, as cliché as it is, we look at each game separately and don’t look at cumulative stuff.”–Mike O’Shea

“We try not to change our process from one week to the next. You hope it allows you to be more consistent, and I think it has in the past,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.

“We haven’t had as consistent of a season as we’d like, but, as cliché as it is, we look at each game separately and don’t look at cumulative stuff. This week is no different. Sure, it’s a big game on the CFL schedule, but certainly it’s another game here, as I’m sure it is there, too.”

The last time the Bombers and Argos squared off was the 2022 Grey Cup in Regina. Not that anyone needs a reminder, but the Bombers had a 23-14 edge in the fourth quarter before Toronto stormed back to prevail 24-23 to spoil Winnipeg’s three-peat hopes.

It’s not something O’Shea will be bringing up this week for added motivation.

“I don’t talk about it, really, but the guys are going to talk about whatever they want to talk about,” said O’Shea. “I’m not running around the locker room telling them to shush.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31