Quality sleep has been hard to come by for Hamilton Tiger-Cats coach Orlondo Steinauer the past two nights.
He can’t think of anything other than losing his team in overtime at the Gray Cup.
“I didn’t sleep much,” Steinauer said. It will take a few more days to put this game behind us. ”
The Tigers-Cats let a second-half lead slip away against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who won 33-25 at Tim Hortons Field.
It’s been 22 years since the Tiger-Cats were crowned CFL champions.
Steinauer spoke to his coaches and players on Tuesday morning for the last time this season. The star players and Steinauer then took part in the final video conference with the media.
The coach said he is proud of his team and has no regrets.
“The guys followed the game plan to the letter,” he said. They were strong, they left everything on the ground. What more could you ask for? ”
PHOTO NICK IWANYSHYN, ARCHIVES THE CANADIAN PRESS
Orlondo Steinauer
Helped by the boisterous local crowd, the Tiger-Cats led 19-10 after three quarters, but Winnipeg came from behind scoring 15 points in the final quarter. The Ontario team had to convert a 13-yard field goal with six seconds left to force overtime.
The Bombers then got a major and managed the two-point conversion. The Tiger-Cats failed to respond. An intercepted pass ended the duel.
“Yesterday was a bit like a day before to be frank,” said offensive lineman Chris Van Zeyl. I’m not implying that I drank, but I felt like I was lost and drained from the defeat. ”
“To be so close to the goal, to have put in so much effort, for everything we have sacrificed during the season… All these factors together, it’s painful. ”
Steven Dunbar and Brandon Banks scored touchdowns for the Tiger-Cats. Michael Domagala had three field goals and two converts.
The other point was scored through a safety touchdown.
One decision that will continue to trickle down is whether Tim White should have run on a punt with two minutes left instead of kneeling and conceding a point.
The Tiger-Cats were playing into the wind, but the point awarded was a game-changer. A field goal no longer gave victory, rather, it brought extra time. Beginning at their 35 line, the Ti-Cats marched full steam ahead and came close to scoring the touchdown that would have given them a serious championship option.
With 10 seconds left, Jeremiah Masoli threw a pass from just inside the end zone to Jaelon Acklin, but Deatrick Nichols deflected him enough to prevent the touchdown.
“I thought it was like a winning circuit,” said Steinauer. That the ball was going to be captured and that was the end of the story. ”
“I was a firm believer in this scenario and I believed in it as much in overtime. It just didn’t work. ”
The Tiger-Cats were trying to get their hands on the Gray Cup at home for the first time since 1972. The Ontario team’s record in the championship final is now 8-14.
Attention is now on the offseason, as the team could see several roster changes for 2022.
Masoli, and his counterpart Dane Evans, who left in the second quarter after worsening a neck injury, are among the important players who will soon be able to achieve autonomy.
Evans said he was injured in the Eastern final against Toronto and was awaiting MRI results.
Rumors indicate that the University of Washington is interested in Steinauer to coordinate the defense.
The Seattle native responded that he has not been contacted by the university.
In the 2019 Gray Cup game, the Blue Bombers beat the Tiger-Cats by a score of 33-12 in Calgary.