TORONTO – Excited by the challenge ahead of them, the Alouettes arrived in Toronto, without any complexes, in preparation for this Eastern final against the Argonauts, this Saturday, at BMO Field.
The song seems to have been playing on repeat for the past few days. The Alouettes are neglected, but positive. The Argonauts are favorites, but cautious.
Quebecer Marc-Antoine Dequoy, who already had his game face on at the press conference Friday afternoon at BMO Field, is impatient for the game to begin.
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“In reality, I have not heard once within the team that we arrive at this match as underdogs,” indicated Dequoy, speaking of a break between the feeling conveyed in the Alouettes locker room and this which has been mentioned in several media. Inside the team, we talk about what we are capable of doing and we feel on the same level.
Maas rallies Quebecers
Arriving in the Queen City just in time to participate in this press conference, Dequoy was delegated to speak to the media as were head coach Jason Maas, quarterback Cody Fajardo, Darnell Sankey and Kristian Matte.
From the start, Maas gave an astonishing speech that had enough to rally Quebecers, particularly those who do not hold the “rest of Canada” in their hearts.
“We feel like we represent a lot of people outside of our locker room. We represent Quebec, Montreal… We are in Ontario and this rivalry between Quebec and Ontario is a fantastic thing to think about because it is a motivation. We are not embarrassed to say that we are proud to be from Quebec.”
Before Maas, Argonauts head coach Ryan Dinwiddie had mostly stuck to pre-chewed words.
“I made sure to tell the guys that yes, we are the favorites, but we have to beat a team for a fourth time [en 2023] and that she is playing her best football right now. We know very well that it is a difficult challenge,” he declared, recalling the Argos’ three victories against the Alouettes in the regular season.
Training revealed
At the end of a week of preparation, the Montreal club announced its formation in the morning. The Alouettes’ defensive unit will have a crucial role to play. Unsurprisingly, Americans Shawn Lemon, Mustafa Johnson and Almondo Sewell will try to establish themselves on the line of scrimmage on defense while Sankey will act as inside linebacker. The Canadian Lwal Uguak could also be one to watch on the defensive front, who will try to hinder the work of the opposing quarterback, Chad Kelly.
Dequoy remains in the center of the tertiary to counter long plays, supported by defensive backs Wesley Sutton and Ciante Evans.
Ballast absent, Richards present
In the absence of offensive lineman Pier-Olivier Lestage, still injured in a leg, it is Philippe Gagnon who remains the man of confidence to replace him, as was the case last week during the victory 27 to 12 in the East Division semi-final against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Interesting change: linebacker Tyrell Richards, recovered from a thigh injury, will return to the game. He should mainly contribute on special teams.
- More than 25,000 tickets have already sold for this Eastern final presented in Toronto. We will have to see how many seats will be occupied by Alouettes fans from Montreal.