Published Oct 29, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n When Redha Kramdi, Joey Corcoran and Kevens Clercius were drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, there\u2019s one thing they didn\u2019t have on their bingo cards: Playing a playoff game in their home town of Montreal.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I got here I didn\u2019t even know crossover was a thing,\u201d Clercius was saying on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n That\u2019s certainly not something the receiver would have learned at the University of Connecticut.<\/p>\n The CFL\u2019s unique rule, allowing a fourth-place team in one division to claim the third playoff spot in the other, will pit the Bombers against the Alouettes in the East semifinal in Montreal on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great to go home and have my mom in the stands,\u201d Corcoran, also a receiver, said. \u201cBut I\u2019m going there to win. I want to kick ass.\u201d<\/p>\n Mom may want to wash her son\u2019s mouth out with soap after reading that, but the 24-year-old Corcoran knows it won\u2019t change for whom she or his brother, aunts, uncles and friends in the stands will be cheering.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg Sun’s Daily Headline News<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cWinnipeg, all the way,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re not allowed to cheer for Montreal.\u201d<\/p>\n A fifth-round draft pick out of the University of New Hampshire just this year, Corcoran says the only thing on his mind when he came to Winnipeg was a Grey Cup.<\/p>\n That makes Saturday, the first step towards it, the biggest game of his life.<\/p>\n \u201cSome guys have been there, but I can guarantee you they want to get there again,\u201d he said. \u201cWe love our chances. It\u2019s going to take all of us coming together, and that\u2019s what we\u2019ve been doing all week. We love it.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019ll likely take some young receivers stepping up, too, if star Nic Demski\u2019s hamstring injury keeps him out. Demski hasn\u2019t practised this week and appears doubtful to play on Saturday.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a lot to ask of first- or second-year receivers.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Corcoran has caught just 10 passes as a rookie. Clercius has nabbed 40 in his second season.<\/p>\n The latter will have a brother and sister, cousins, friends and hopefully his dad in the crowd on Saturday, all cheering for the Bombers, he says.<\/p>\n \u201cNow it\u2019s more about \u2018win,\u2019 and less about my people at home,\u201d Clercius said. \u201cNow it\u2019s go big or go home.\u201d<\/p>\n Even for 28-year-old Kramdi, the elder statesman of the Montreal Mafia, it\u2019ll be the first time he\u2019s been on the road for a playoff game that wasn\u2019t a Grey Cup game. The fact it\u2019s home, sweet home, has added some responsibilities.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s cool,\u201d the dime back said. \u201cA bit dragging to manage all the tickets and have family coming. But always appreciative of the support. They know when October comes around I\u2019m not the most fun person to talk to. I just got the most tickets I can, and spread it out.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Kramdi figures he\u2019ll have some 20 family and friends in the crowd.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously they\u2019re cheering for the Blue Bombers,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause they\u2019re my family. They wouldn\u2019t be family or friends if they wouldn\u2019t cheer for me. My mom is a big fan of Zach (Collaros) and Demski. So when we win, hopefully she can get a picture with them.\u201d<\/p>\n Kramdi sounds assured, and why wouldn\u2019t he be?<\/p>\n Winnipeg\u2019s second-round pick in 2021, all he\u2019s known is seasons that end with trips to the Grey Cup. That\u2019s all he cares about this year, too.<\/p>\n Family and friends may appreciate this unique opportunity, but he only sees the business end of the trip.<\/p>\n \u201cThe game could have been in Morris, I don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n Morris, Montreal, Hamilton \u2013 it doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n This year, all roads lead back to Winnipeg.<\/p>\n paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca<\/p>\n X: @friesensunmedia<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breadcrumb Trail Links SportsFootballCFLWinnipeg Blue Bombers Get the latest from Paul Friesen straight to your inbox Sign Up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":249315,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-249314","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249314\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Redha](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SptsWB3_KramdiFile-scaled-e1761779616822.jpg\")
Redha Kramdi of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (right) defends against Montreal Alouettes’ Regis Cibasu during a CFL game in Winnipeg in 2023. Photo by John Woods \/The Canadian PressArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.8.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-wsun-new.svg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.8.1\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-sun-headlineNews.svg\"\/){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n