Dales punts Bombers, stays with Stamps

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This article was published 25/03/2009 (6399 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BURKE Dales has straight-armed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and returned to the Calgary Stampeders.

The veteran free-agent punter had spoken to the Bombers about coming to Winnipeg — he was rumoured to be headed this way as soon as free agency opened on Feb. 16 — but ultimately chose to return to Calgary because of familiarity and pressure from his off-season employer to remain in southern Alberta.

Dales initially joined the Stamps in 2005 and spent four seasons with the club before becoming a free agent after Calgary’s 2008 championship season. He averaged a career-high 46.1 yards per punt and led all CFL punters with an average 38.1 net yards per punt last season.

“I’m just glad to be back with the Stamps,” Dales said. “This team has become a family for me, Calgary is home and I’m very excited to be back. I can’t wait for the season to get started and I’m Iooking forward to competing for another Grey Cup.”

MOVIN’ON UP?: Coach Mike Kelly said the Bombers are attempting to climb up into the first two rounds of May’s Canadian Draft in hope of picking higher than their current spot in the third round, 19th overall.

“We’re still working on some things to try and move up in the draft, because I think it’s very important that we try to recoup some of the first-round picks we’ve already lost,” he said. “I keep saying it, but there’s two things you have to have in this league: good Canadians and a quarterback. Everything else you can find.”

The Bombers sent their first-round pick (third overall) to Hamilton last year in the Zeke Moreno trade and swapped their second-rounder (11th overall) to Edmonton in the deal that brought Stefan LeFors to Winnipeg.

— Ed Tait