The CFL Western Final in Winnipeg on Sunday between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers had fans from both sides yelling at their TV screens.
The game had those dressed in both blue and green on the edge of their seats with a narrow 21-17 victory for the home team, who will now advance to face off against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the 108th Grey Cup this Sunday.
The Roughriders knew that going up against arguably the best team in the league would be a challenge.
“We’ve been through the wringer,” said Riders head coach, Craig Dickenson in a pre-game press conference. “If it’s close in the fourth, it’s really not gonna be that big of a deal for us. Ya know, in almost every game we’ve been in, it seems like it’s been close in the fourth so I’d be more than happy for it to be close in the fourth tomorrow.”
In spite of the fact that the Bombers were going into the game with an impressive 10-2 record, Rider fans were optimistic after coming off a 20-17 victory over the Calgary Stampeders last week.
The Riders had been putting up a good fight this season, with an 8-4 record going into Sunday’s game, and a very passionate group of fans rallying behind them.
“My body is shaking because this reminds me of 2019 and I don’t like it,” said lifelong Rider fan Aidan Mann at halftime, as he watched the game on TV.
The game continued to keep Mann on the edge of his seat, with Bombers tailback Andrew Harris proving to be a man on a mission with 136 rushing yards, and Riders receiver Duke Williams refusing to go down without a fight gaining 67 yards for his team.
It wasn’t until the final minute of the game after quarterback Cody Fajardo’s knocked down pass, that Roughrider fans truly began to recognize the pain of defeat.
“It literally broke my heart. We had six f—ing turnovers, we should have had more points than we did, I’m broken inside right now,” expressed Mann, as he painfully watched the game clock count down to zero.
“I’m proud of the guys, the way they fought and we took every blow, we fought back but that’s what happens when you play a really good football team, it just kinda comes down to the wire,” Fajardo shared in a post-game press conference.
As the 2021 season winds to a close, Dickenson explained his attitude moving forward with the Riders.
“Every team except one is going to be disappointed this year and that’s just the way it is. I hope our guys feel disappointed and hopefully, it motivates them to work hard this offseason. We got a little taste of what it’s like to play in the big games and hopefully, it leaves them hungry for more.”
