The Eastern final between the Argonauts and the Alouettes will be presented Saturday at 3 p.m. with RDS and RDS.ca.
Pre-match Argonauts v. Larks
MONTREAL – It’s only for fun, but the American elections have made us notice parallels with the tough duel that is taking shape between the Montreal Alouettes and the Toronto Argonauts.
Following the inappropriate actions of Chad Kelly – who received a nine-game suspension – we cannot help but place him in the role of the controversial candidate held by Donald Trump due to his numerous problems with the law.
The Alouettes could be perceived as the Democrats since they currently hold power and the Argonauts are trying to bring them down.
We could add that Toronto, like Trump, wants revenge after suffering defeat in the last clash.
Of course, we must not live in the past and especially not in the sporting world which changes so quickly. However, the 2023 Eastern final represents an example for the Alouettes to repeat.
Defensive back Wesley Sutton alluded to this aptly.
“I watched this game in the last few days and it was a good reminder. It sometimes feels like Toronto gave us this game, but that’s not the case. The Argos had momentum, but we caused turnovers, we stopped their attack at the goal gate, it continued with the fumble caused by Shawn Lemon and it collapsed for them,” said mentioned Sutton.
“It was good to see the energy we displayed and even refreshing,” added Sutton, who considers that it was the best defensive performance he has been a part of.
It should be remembered that the Alouettes arrived as huge underdogs for voting day in Toronto.
“We managed our mission so well. We had an 0-3 record against them during the season,” noted Sutton.
In 2024, despite the best record in the CFL, the Alouettes (12-5-1) did not really have more success against the Argos. Their 1-2 record even included a very difficult defensive performance on September 28, allowing 517 yards including 234 by rushing. This match made Sutton say that his squad had been sluggish.
“I wouldn’t say it’s worrying,” reacted marauder Marc-Antoine Dequoy. It’s a team that can be excessively explosive, we know that. It’s a matter of executing that day. It’s not just about talking about it in the media, it’s about doing it. »
Jason Maas was the first to remember this perilous outing in Toronto.
“It’s a good challenge and, of course, we want to stop the race first. It won’t change the plan. They can hurt you in different ways. We will have to be at our best to beat them,” he summarized.
“We know it’s a big challenge every time we cross swords with them. But I like our preparation, we are on the right track,” continued Maas with his determined look.
This good path took root last year, a growth that led to the championship. From now on, the objective remains to maintain the right approach since the Alouettes have overturned the polls by going from the neglected camp to that of the favorites on the sports betting sites.
However, it would not be surprising if many football observers voted for Toronto to advance to the ultimate match.
“I’m pretty sure that we will be identified as the underdogs, that wouldn’t surprise me and that would become an additional motivation,” said Dequoy.
To defeat the Argonauts for a second year in a row in the Eastern final, the Birds will still have to disturb quarterback Chad Kelly who was the victim of four interceptions in 2023.
“Kelly works a lot with momentum. If you can get into his head quickly, that can become an advantage,” agreed linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku.
“I don’t think about that, we focus more on what we can accomplish. It’s cliché, it can take you out of your game to focus on the bad things,” warned Dequoy, all the same.
By virtue of adequate concentration and good preparation, Maas wants to allow his charges “to play freely with maximum effort”.
“Since May, we have said to ourselves that we are the team to beat. Now we just want to prove it,” said Cantin-Arku.
“We have the same mentality as in 2023 in the sense that we want to win a title and not defend it,” concluded Dequoy who does not want to see another team take pride of place in the CFL.
