Riders await final roster ahead of season opener
Three weeks of Saskatchewan Roughrider training camp came to an end Thursday afternoon, but tough decisions are still to be made when it comes to the team roster.
“We watched some guys very closely this last week, especially those two padded practice days, we wanted to see if anybody flashed and a few guys did make an impression and we’ll see how we go,” said head coach Craig Dickenson.
He said trimming the roster will be difficult, especially when it comes to receiver, offensive line and quarterback positions.
“They’ve got some tough decisions. I mean, we’ve got a lot of really great guys on the team from the offensive line room, quarterbacks, running backs, all the way on defence,” said offensive lineman Evan Johnson. “We’re gonna be a really good team, really competitive. We’re gonna play fast, hard.”
Quarterback Cody Fajardo said he has received the bad news call before, and he sympathizes with the players on the bubble.
“It’s a very stressful time to be one of those bubble guys and I don’t wish that on my worst enemy,” said Fajardo.
“It’s just you want to be a football player and you’ve worked so hard to get there and then, unfortunately, you get that call and it’s tough to stomach sometimes.”
Even with the pressure of cuts looming in the air, the players are feeling relief after weeks of hard work.
“It feels real good…we worked really good as a team, put a lot of good work on the field, so it feels nice to finally have it all finished up,” said running back Kienan LaFrance.
The decisions on cuts will be made Thursday night, and then coaches will go through the process of filling the team’s practice roster.
The Riders will hit the gridiron for practice on Monday to prep for their home opener against the BC Lions on Aug. 6.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
'Ninja,' Twitch's biggest streamer, is diagnosed with skin cancer
American gamer and Twitch superstar, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Here's what Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will offer renters
The federal government will create a new 'Canadian Renters' Bill of Rights,' which would require landlords to disclose their properties' rental price history to prospective tenants.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.