As Lirim’s Hajrullahu’s right foot connected with the football, it was quieter than usual at Hamilton Stadium. Tiger-Cat fans were anticipating a possible return by Isaiah Wooden Sr., should the ball go wide. Toronto Argonaut fans were holding their breath, hoping that they weren’t about to see a rerun of a kick toward those same goalposts that occurred five games prior to this Labour Day Classic.
Adam Guillemette’s snap was perfect, as was James Burnip’s hold. It was obvious as soon as the ball was kicked that covering the 52 yards between the kicking block and the uprights was not going to be a problem. It wasn’t long after that it was apparent the ball was going to go as straight as the uprights it was about to travel between.
The field goal attempt was good; the demon that had haunted the south end zone of Hamilton Stadium had been exorcised.
Related Content
It was Hajrullahu’s first game with the Argos since July 18, a painful one-point loss where the kicker missed a conversion attempt and a potential 31-yard game-winning field goal, both in the fourth quarter, both toward those previously possessed posts.
He may have been the only one that didn’t see Monday’s moment of redemption as dramatic.
“I didn’t think much of it,” Hajrullahu told Argonauts.ca. “The whole game plan for me mentally was having my thought process for the field goal. It didn’t matter how far it was, it didn’t matter which way it was; it was just going through my thought process.”
The extended layoff between kicks was mentally difficult for Hajrullahu, who had to deal with an injured hamstring after the July disappointment. It meant he couldn’t come back the next game to redeem himself, he had to wait, and wait, and wait for another opportunity.
That part of the rehabilitation was the hardest for the Western University product.
“It was tough, tough mentally for sure,” he admitted. “But I knew If I could mentally lock in once I was ready and healthy, that I’d be able to prove myself again.”
The July outing wasn’t the first time Hajrullahu had a memorable game for the wrong reason. In October 2015, in just his second pro season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, he missed four field goals and a conversion in a one-point loss to Edmonton.
He learned from that disastrous outing and has rebounded to have a stellar CFL career, mixed with a couple of NFL and USFL seasons. He’s also coming off the best back-to-back seasons of any kicker in Argonaut history. It’s a long way from his Bomber days, but he’s learned from every missed kick along the way.
“The misses that we make, we categorize into what fashion they happened,” he explained. “I think that’s the maturity part of the whole scenario. Why did I miss? Was it physical? Was it mental? Was it technical? Was it team? Was it wind? Was it environmental? How were you distracted? There are seven different aspects that I look at. I think that plays a huge role in diagnosing the issue.”
Since he was in high school, Hajrullahu had someone in his life to help him assess what he was doing correctly, and how to improve upon things that needed some work. But that security blanket isn’t around anymore, as Ken Urquhart, known simply as “Coach Kick,” passed away this spring after a too-quick battle with cancer.
Even though he’s not around physically, the influence the coach had on the player remains strong.
“I have so many videos,” said a suddenly smiling Hajrullahu, remembering his friend and mentor. “I have so many notes; he used to always say ‘Write this down Lirim, write this down.’ That was a huge part of it too, what would Coach be telling me in this scenario? It’s going back to basics, checking my stance in terms of where I am in the process. How am I rotating? Am I relaxed? All the nuances of kicking; looking at old videos, looking at old notes. If he was here, what would he tell me? I just want to make him proud.”
There’s no question “Kick” would have been happy with his protégé’s day of redemption. Hajrullahu was rewarded after the win with a game ball, and the gratitude of the entire Argonaut family.