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
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.