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Published Nov 11, 2025 • 2 minute read
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Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Mace says there’s motivation to win in Winnipeg. “I’d be lying to say that we didn’t bring that up at some point in the year,” Mace said. “Not much else to say. They all understood.” David Lipnowski/The Canadian PressArticle content
They are 60 minutes of football away from rubbing a handful of prairie rivalry into the faces of every Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan.
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It doesn’t take much prodding for the Saskatchewan Roughriders to acknowledge how good that would feel if they can finish the job, in Winnipeg, no less.
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Hoisting the Cup on Winnipeg turf would be a Bomber fan’s worst nightmare, while adding a taste of sweetness to the sip from it that follows.
“Now that I think about it, I’m going to go with yes,” A.J. Allen, the Riders’ fourth-year linebacker, said on Tuesday. “The rivalry is real. The rivalry is deep. Yeah, why not add a little extra motivation.”
The Riders take what had been the Bombers’ over the last five seasons, the West Division crown, into Sunday’s Grey Cup game against Montreal.
It turns out Gang Green’s motivation didn’t just pop up as it invaded Winnipeg this week.
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Over to you, head coach Corey Mace.
“I’d be lying to say that we didn’t bring that up at some point in the year,” Mace said. “Not much else to say. They all understood.”
Mace and the Riders’ disdain for the Bombers only sharpened in last year’s West Final.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris says that was a loss he didn’t see coming – not that he ever does – and it led to some serious off-season homework on how to reverse the result the next time.
“A lot of off-season study was done on Winnipeg,” Harris said. “Because you expect that Winnipeg’s going to be a team that you’re going to have to get through. And it was.”
The Riders didn’t just get through the Bombers, they steamrolled them.
Winnipeg’s five-year run as Grey Cup reps began to unravel when they were swept in three games between the teams this season, finishing fourth.
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“They’ve been the class of the league,” Harris said. “And going to five straight Grey Cups is not a small feat. But to say Winnipeg motivated us, I’m not sure. We just focus on ourselves. How can we sharpen our axe to chop down the tree that’s in front of us.”
While the Riders chopped their way to first place and then felled B.C. in the West Final, the Bombers crossed over to the East and were put through the playoff shredder by Montreal, their home Grey Cup dream reduced to sawdust.
“I know they’re disappointed in not being here,” Harris said. “They made it five in a row, and then they get one at home and couldn’t make it here. But they’ve been awesome. This organization is first-class. They’re going to re-tool and be ready next year.”
What the Bombers look like next year is far from certain, as 12-year head coach Mike O’Shea and GM Kyle Walters aren’t under contract.
Toronto GM Mike Pinball Clemons is pursuing O’Shea to take over the Argos’ open head coaching position, although league protocol prohibits teams from making any announcements until after the Grey Cup.
paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca
X: @friesensunmedia
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