On the eve of starting their 2022 campaign, the McGill Redbirds want to put aside their last campaign and reconnect with their progress of the past.
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“We want to get together,” said head coach Ronald Hilaire. In 2021, for both players and coaches, it was a season below our expectations, considering the talent we had and the “momentum” we had created in 2018 and 2019.
During these two campaigns, McGill had taken third place in the Quebec university circuit. After the canceled 2020 season, the club faced several difficulties the following year. He maintained a poor 1-7 record and took last place in the standings, missing the playoffs.
“I’m not looking for excuses, but it was difficult having to deal with two recruiting classes. We had also lost important veterans in terms of leadership,” explained Hilaire.
“We have created bad habits within our team. We were talented, but were we a united team? I do not know. In difficult times, we were not united enough to succeed in winning games.
After two weeks of preparation for their debut against the Université Laval Rouge et Or on Saturday, Hilaire is confident that his team is on the right track.
“We already see that we are much more all in the same frame of mind. We want to do it right, take it one day at a time and eventually get back to being the team we were. If we stay the course, I think great things can happen for us in 2022.”
A longer camp
As there are only five teams in the Quebec league, a team had to wait before starting its campaign. The Redbirds have suffered this year. This comes with some disadvantages, but also several advantages.
“It allowed us to have a longer evaluation and to give our players the chance to have a lot of repetitions in training, noted Hilaire. It allows us to make the best possible decisions regarding our starters and the 48 players we will dress against Laval.
McGill was also able to reconnect with one of its traditions, that of going into exile at Collège Bourget for a full week.
“We spent all our time together. We were away from home and had to be together. It’s great for team spirit. We learned to discover each other,” said defensive back Tristan Fleury.
His teammate Darius Simmons is convinced that this exercise allowed his team to achieve Hilaire’s goal.
“We discovered our essence during training camp. Now is the time for us to take action,” said the wide receiver.
The Redbirds and the Rouge et Or meet this Saturday at 4 p.m. at Percival-Molson Stadium. The confrontation will be presented on TVA Sports.