The first is in his rookie season in Laval after having played his school football at Séminaire Saint-Joseph and his college football at CNDF. He has never won the last match of a football season even if he came very close in 2022 in a defeat at the Bol d’Or. Gosselin couldn’t be more motivated for Saturday afternoon’s Canadian final against Laurier University.
“I have actually never won a championship in my football career. There is no doubt that I am very hungry to win one,” explains the six-foot-three, 325-pound athlete who did not seem thrilled to be reminded by your humble servant of his collective football history. .
For his part, veteran Vincent Delisle has won at every level of football. Whether at Séminaire Saint-François, with the Champlain-Lennoxville Cougars or with the Rouge et Or, the defensive back seems doomed to win.
“I have a school Bol d’Or, I won twice at college and I won the Vanier Cup in 2022 in Laval. I was privileged in this aspect and it is certain that hearing some of our young players mention that they have never won brings an additional element of motivation.
— Vincent Delisle, marauder for the Rouge et Or
Delisle assures that he wants to do everything to offer this gift to the young players of the team.
“Just to see the reaction of the guys who had never won during the Dunsmore Cup celebrations, it was something. It was also nice to see them in action during our first long trip to Regina. There is now only one obstacle left before lifting the big trophy and obtaining the ultimate reward.
Vincent Delisle makes a big play against the Regina Rams. (Mathieu Bélanger / Rouge et Or)
A colossal challenge
The Rouge et Or’s defense will have a lot to do at the Vanier Cup since no one has been able to slow down the Laurier Golden Hawks’ offense this season. A very explosive attack according to Delisle.
“There is no doubt that they are explosive when we do the video analysis. They have good receivers and a good quarterback. We had the chance to play a similar attack when we played against Montreal and we will be ready.
Quarterback Taylor Elgersma, however, is a different pivot from what the Rouge et Or usually sees. Armed with a cannon arm, the six-foot-six-inch kingpin seems to spot his targets with disconcerting ease.
“It is indeed a gunslinger. He is able to move, but he prefers to throw from the pocket. I doubt he’ll hurt us with his legs.”
It is also well protected by its offensive line which plays differently from the majority of other Canadian teams.
“Their offensive line plays with the same personnel on the strong and weak side of the field. The players on the weak side (the place where there is less ground to cover) are also stronger than those who play on the strong side. No matter how they play, they are solid on the front,” says Gosselin with conviction.
Thomas Gosselin has the firm intention of making his presence felt against Laurier. (Caroline Grégoire/Archives Le Soleil)
No fear
The Golden Hawks have scored an astronomical amount of points this season. Their lowest offensive production came in the Ontario semi-final against Queen’s where they scored 29 points. They have scored 40 points or more this season in half of their games (5). Despite all these statistics, Delisle assures that the word fear is not part of the tertiary vocabulary this week.
“It’s quite the opposite, we are excited by this challenge. As much as they have their star players at the receiver position, it’s the same for us at the defensive back position. We have 100% the talent to be able to do well against them.”
If the play of the young Rouge et Or tertiary will be crucial to determine the winner of this Canadian final, Gosselin believes that his group will have to make the work of his teammates easier by applying significant pressure on the opposing quarterback.
“We’ll have to find a way to apply pressure. They managed to protect him well this season. I know that internal pressure is always more difficult to negotiate than that which comes from the outside. Yoann Miangué and I should have our say at the end of the week.”
