Free Press sports reporters on key Grey Cup storylines By: Joshua Frey-Sam, Taylor Allen and Jeff Hamilton Posted: 5:50 PM CST Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025

With three more sleeps until kickoff at Princess Auto Stadium, Free Press sports reporters Joshua Frey-Sam, Taylor Allen and Jeff Hamilton each pick a favourite storyline heading into the 112th Grey Cup.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Josh: Hey, what’s going on everybody? Welcome into a special edition of a Winnipeg Free Press podcast. I’m Josh Frey-Sam, alongside my colleagues Taylor Allen, Jeff Hamilton, and we have made up your Winnipeg Blue Bombers beat for the 2025 season.

However, today, gentlemen, we are not here to talk about the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. We are here to talk about the Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are going to be playing on Sunday right here at Princess Auto Stadium in the 112th Grey Cup.

And today, the task is simple for us. We are here to talk about one thing that we are each looking forward to the most — the storyline, whatever that might be, in the big game.

Jeff, let’s start with you. Take us through what you are most looking forward to in Grey Cup 112.

Jeff: Yeah, Josh, I’m looking forward to what everybody’s been talking about all week, and that’s the health status of Davis Alexander, quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes. Particularly, how is his hamstring gonna hold up?

It’s been a storyline really all season long. Injured it early in the year, came back, tried to work through it, got injured again, was out for about 10 games, and then came back. And it looked like he was no worse for wear until the East final, where it reared its ugly head again.

So he’s been going through this whole process of rehabbing it, trying to get it as 100 per cent as possible. We know it’s not gonna be there, but they’re talking (stim) stuff. They’re talking massage therapy. They’re doing everything.

So the question — or the thing that I’m looking most forward to, is how long is Davis Alexander going to be in the game? Is he going to be healthy enough to do all four quarters? Is he gonna be a half?

That’s the big question for me, and that’s what I’ll be looking forward to most heading into this one.

Taylor: Well, Jeff, if Davis Alexander is not 100 per cent, and if he doesn’t finish the whole game, or play the whole game, I should say, the Als are in big trouble.

I mean, if you were at the last home game of the year here with the Bombers, and when the Als were in town, McLeod Bethel-Thompson got the start, and he was dreadful. So yeah, if Davis Alexander is not Davis Alexander on Sunday, Als — it’s not gonna be pretty for them.

But I think another big story for this weekend is 39-year-old Trevor Harris, quarterback, Saskatchewan Roughriders. I mean, here’s a guy who is a two-time Grey Cup champion, but as a backup, and he’s itching to get his first as a starter, and he’s even said he doesn’t count those two Grey Cups.

He says, ‘I want one as a starter,’ and rightfully so, and, I mean, this Riders team, you look at them, there’s no way they’re here without him.

That West final, final minute, they need a touchdown, and Trevor Harris — a career-defining drive, honestly — marches them down the field, 76 yards, scores the game winner, and here they are.

So, Riderville’s got lots to be happy about with having Trevor Harris under centre come out.

Josh: Yeah, no question, and it’s kind of been interesting all week listening to these two quarterbacks talk about, it’s the old guy in Trevor Harris versus the young guy who you just brought up, Jeff, in Davis Alexander.

It’s really fascinating to watch how these two, in really big, respective moments of their career.

Who knows how many opportunities Trevor Harris is going to have to get back to this spot, and who knows as well, Davis Alexander — nothing’s guaranteed in professional football — how many opportunities he’s going to have to get back to the spot.

So, both the quarterbacks you guys mentioned are going to be really key to keep an eye on in this one.

I’m most looking forward to — I’m actually going to give the crowd some love here, gentlemen, okay? I’m going off the field. There’s a big overwhelming sentiment that this is going to be an overly dominated green crowd here at Princess Auto Stadium.

Obviously, the Saskatchewan Roughriders fans travel well, and they are going to be making the short drive up the No. 1 highway here to Winnipeg to watch this game. There’s gonna be a lot of Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans who are also possibly in attendance. Those who are not in attendance, are they selling their tickets, and who are they selling them to? Maybe they’re Saskatchewan Roughrider fans.

So, I could see this actually having a little bit more influence on the game than maybe a lot of people aren’t giving it credit for. Maybe this is a home-ish game for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, or do the Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans come out the way we know they can, and they do end up cheering for the Montreal Alouettes?

If this is a home-ish game for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, that could have a major influence on the Alouettes and when they’re on offence, and what they’re able to do, their communication, all that good stuff.

So, I’m really interested to see: is it gonna be overwhelmingly green? Are we going to have a little splash of blue and red? How many Bomber fans are we going to have in attendance?

All that good stuff is gonna be worth keeping an eye on in this game.

Jeff: You know what, Josh? I sure hope so — that it’s a sea of green, and I don’t mean that just because their team is in the final, but attendance has been an issue in Saskatchewan all year long, right?

It’s the Bombers who are selling out week after week, became that first organization in the CFL to sell out every single one of their home games in a season, and all we hear about is it’s ‘Riders Canada’s team.’ So, I’m hoping we see a wave of green.

I’d love to see, you know, that atmosphere cheering on their home team and getting them, what would be, guys, just their fifth Grey Cup in franchise history, right? The last one coming on home soil in 2013.

So, great ideas, guys. I think, you know, we just painted three of them, but there’s so many different storylines. Looking forward to this one. I hope everybody at home enjoys this one.

If you’re going to the game, have a great time. If you’re at home, hope you got all those appetizers and specialty drinks in the mix, and I hope that Sunday is a really special time.

I know for me, my colleagues here at the Winnipeg Free Press, we appreciate everything that you’ve done, you know, watching our coverage, reading our stuff, and I hope it was a terrific season for you, too.

So, that’s a wrap for us. Have a great time watching the game, and we’ll see you next time.

Joshua Frey-Sam
Reporter

Josh joined the Free Press sports squad just weeks after graduating from Red River College’s Creative Communications program in 2022.

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Taylor Allen
Reporter

Eighteen years old and still in high school, Taylor got his start with the Free Press on June 1, 2011. Well, sort of...

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Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

After a slew of injuries playing hockey that included breaks to the wrist, arm, and collar bone; a tear of the medial collateral ligament in both knees; as well as a collapsed lung, Jeff figured it was a good idea to take his interest in sports off the ice and in to the classroom.

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