Alouettes fans who have their tickets for next Friday’s game against the Ottawa Rouge et Noir at Percival-Molson Stadium have nothing to fear: the Montreal team does not intend to rest its starters for this last game of the season .
With second place in the section and the possibility of hosting the Eastern semi-final at stake, head coach Khari Jones will do whatever he can to add an eighth win to the record of his club.
“We are not going to rest our starters: we are playing for a playoff game at home,” he assured. We’re going to be smart about using them, however. We want to win this match. “
“I love our fans, I love playing in the ‘Nest’” said wide receiver Eugene Lewis. No matter the conditions: rain, snow, hail, we’ll play hard. We want to offer a playoff game to our fans. They deserve it. “
“We want to give that to our fans,” added Jones. We play before [les Tiger-Cats], then we’ll know a little more about it at that time. We will see what will happen. The most important thing is to play a good game in all phases of the game. That’s what I also wanted to see on Saturday and that’s what I want. “
Because winning against Ottawa is not enough for the Alouettes, who must also count on a loss of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Saturday, against the Roughriders of Saskatchewan.
The trouble was, immediately after their 28-14 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the Alouettes saw the Riders score a 29-24 victory over the Edmonton Elks. The Saskatchewan roster made sure to finish second in the West and host their section’s semi-final.
Jones’ troop must now wish that the Riders did not give the majority of their regulars leave for the duel against the Tiger-Cats. Or hope their substitutes are superior to Hamilton’s starters.
An important match
In addition to the obvious sporting issue, the financial health of the Montreal football club has also been linked to the presentation of playoff games at home in the past. We can safely say that this is still the case for the new administration.
This additional game, presented in front of nearly 25,000 spectators, hope the Alouettes, would bring back several hundred thousand dollars, even a few million.
Despite this important financial issue, Jones assures that he has not been pressured by the club’s senior management.
“No, I don’t get pressure,” he said. I know [à quel point c’est important financièrement] and we don’t need to remind me: we want to play at home. “
“There was a comment about one of my answers earlier this week that I would prefer to play abroad. I want to be clear: I want to play at home. I wanted to finish first, now I’m aiming for second. I love to play at home. I love our crowd of fans, the atmosphere here, and I want to play in front of a stadium that’s packed to the max. I want to play at home, that’s the plan. If not, we’ll adjust, but that’s what we want. “