Saskatchewan Roughriders<\/a> to acknowledge how good that would feel if they can finish the job, in Winnipeg, no less.<\/p>\nArticle content<\/p>\n
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Hoisting the Cup on Winnipeg turf would be a Bomber fan\u2019s worst nightmare, while adding a taste of sweetness to the sip from it that follows.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow that I think about it, I\u2019m going to go with yes,\u201d A.J. Allen, the Riders\u2019 fourth-year linebacker, said on Tuesday. \u201cThe rivalry is real. The rivalry is deep. Yeah, why not add a little extra motivation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Riders take what had been the Bombers\u2019 over the last five seasons, the West Division crown, into Sunday\u2019s Grey Cup game against Montreal.<\/p>\n
It turns out Gang Green\u2019s motivation didn\u2019t just pop up as it invaded Winnipeg this week.<\/p>\n
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Over to you, head coach Corey Mace.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d be lying to say that we didn\u2019t bring that up at some point in the year,\u201d Mace said. \u201cNot much else to say. They all understood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mace and the Riders\u2019 disdain for the Bombers only sharpened in last year\u2019s West Final.<\/p>\n
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris says that was a loss he didn\u2019t see coming \u2013 not that he ever does \u2013 and it led to some serious off-season homework on how to reverse the result the next time.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of off-season study was done on Winnipeg,\u201d Harris said. \u201cBecause you expect that Winnipeg\u2019s going to be a team that you\u2019re going to have to get through. And it was.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Riders didn\u2019t just get through the Bombers, they steamrolled them.<\/p>\n
Winnipeg\u2019s five-year run as Grey Cup reps began to unravel when they were swept in three games between the teams this season, finishing fourth.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThey\u2019ve been the class of the league,\u201d Harris said. \u201cAnd going to five straight Grey Cups is not a small feat. But to say Winnipeg motivated us, I\u2019m not sure. We just focus on ourselves. How can we sharpen our axe to chop down the tree that\u2019s in front of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know they\u2019re disappointed in not being here,\u201d Harris said. \u201cThey made it five in a row, and then they get one at home and couldn\u2019t make it here. But they\u2019ve been awesome. This organization is first-class. They\u2019re going to re-tool and be ready next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
What the Bombers look like next year is far from certain, as 12-year head coach Mike O\u2019Shea and GM Kyle Walters aren\u2019t under contract.<\/p>\n
Toronto GM Mike Pinball Clemons is pursuing O\u2019Shea to take over the Argos\u2019 open head coaching position, although league protocol prohibits teams from making any announcements until after the Grey Cup.<\/p>\n
paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca<\/p>\n
X: @friesensunmedia<\/p>\n
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![\"Saskatchewan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/MaceOnline.jpg\")
Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Mace says there\u2019s motivation to win in Winnipeg. \u201cI\u2019d be lying to say that we didn\u2019t bring that up at some point in the year,\u201d Mace said. \u201cNot much else to say. They all understood.\u201d \u2002David Lipnowski\/The Canadian PressArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.9.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-wsun-new.svg\"){kind=logo}
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