The Montreal Alouettes have a golden opportunity to injure the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and improve their chances of Friday’s playoffs.
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This will be the last of three regular-season meetings between the two teams from the Eastern Division of the Canadian Football League. Each of them has already signed a win, so the tie-break at Stade Percival-Molson will be in play.
A win for the Als over the Tiger-Cats would allow them to finish ahead of them in the table if the two teams have an identical record after their 18 games of the season.
“It’s an important game. We currently have one win more than Hamilton and a game in hand. It’s a great opportunity that’s in front of us and we have to be opportunistic,” said interim head coach Danny Maciocia.
“The boys know what’s at stake. I hope we will present ourselves in such a way that we can play what we can.
Not just after vacation
Showing up, the Alouettes players (5-7) have forgotten that too often this season, especially when they came back after a week’s break like they are doing now.
Maciocia’s troops are 0-2 in the games after a week’s break. The Moineaux driver showed great transparency when questioned about the situation.
“It would be dishonest of me to say a phrase that would imply we’ve found the solution… it would be difficult to sell you that. However, I believe it is important to be well focused from the beginning to the end of our week.
To put an end to this bad luck, Maciocia and her coaching staff addressed the issue with their athletes.
“After our first two-week break, I felt like we hit the right energy level just 48 hours after kick-off,” he said. It’s different this week, because we tackled the topic on Sunday.
“We made them understand the importance of being focused and knowing that the next few days will be crucial for Friday’s game. I’ve felt the boys engaged physically and mentally since the beginning of the week.
put pressure on
For their part, the Tiger-Cats (4-9) will arrive in Montreal cheered on after beating the mighty Winnipeg Blue Bombers 48-31 last Saturday.
Quarterback Dane Evans was particularly dominant throughout the game, throwing five touchdown passes in the process. The latter, however, is having a tumultuous season and Maciocia thinks he knows how to give him a bad night in metropolitan Quebec.
“When he’s successful, it shows in his pace. He throws the ball quickly. Our challenge is to get him to hold the ball in his hands. We have to be able to reach him and put pressure on him. That will be the key!”
The Return of Blitz Against Hunger
The Alouettes once again appeal to the generosity of their supporters to bring non-perishable food or donate to those in need.
The initiative, dubbed Blitz Against Hunger, is back with an 18th presentation.
“It’s a very important purpose, especially this year,” said long snap specialist Pierre-Luc Caron. With the pandemic and inflation, the demands on the boards have grown. It is also very difficult for families in general. It is more important than ever to help when we are able.”
Als cheerleaders and volunteers will be collecting donations at each State Percival-Molson entrance ahead of Friday’s matchup against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.