Amid the disappointment, the simple mention of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ fans produced a series of smiles on Sunday.
Head Coach Corey Mace and several players took a moment to express their gratitude while closing the books on a season that ended on Saturday with a 38-22 loss to the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL’s Western Final.
TREVOR HARRIS
Quarterback
“We appreciate the fan base here. There’s no fan base like it.
“I know that today stings — and I promise you that it stings more for us — but great things are on the horizon.
“You can take a deep breath today and find solace in knowing that the right people are in place here. The right building blocks have been established.
“Now it’s harvest season. We’ve planted the seeds. We’ve watered it. It has started to grow. Now it’s time for this organization to really take off and really flourish into what this fan base deserves.
“Take solace in that and know that you’re appreciated as Rider Nation. Whether I’m here or not, they need to come out and support this club.
“Be here in every facet and support this team, because the love is going to start being reciprocated in that wins-and-losses column. Hopefully there are Grey Cup appearances and championships and titles.
“It’s coming. It really is.”
COREY MACE
Head Coach
“We love you. Yeah, I could get a little emotional about that …
“It’s a lot for a coach to pick up and pull their family from city to city. You just hope that you can find something that feels like home. This is that.
“The community has been outstanding with myself and my family. My wife loves it here. Our kids love their schools. They love their day care. They love their friends.
“People always used to tell me, ‘It’s going to be tough in Saskatchewan. How was grocery shopping? You guys lost.’
“I never had one bad experience, even in the stretch that we don’t really like to talk about. People were outstanding at communicating because I think people saw what we were trying to get accomplished and how the team was playing.
“We love it here. We want to be here for as long as freakin’ possible. And I look forward to having (a full) off-season here and really immersing our family in the community.
“I would have liked to have done a lot more, but I quickly realized, ‘I don’t have as much time as I used to have.’
“We’re looking forward to spending even more time in the community and just being a part of it.
“That’s all we want to be. We just want to be one of Rider Nation. That’s it.”
A.J. ALLEN
Linebacker
“It hasn’t always been easy and I understand that we have a big responsibility in terms of this province’s sense of pride and accomplishment.
“For the first two seasons of my career here, we didn’t uphold that standard. We didn’t fulfil it. But we’re on the right track right now.
“We didn’t do what we were supposed to do yesterday, but nonetheless the message is still ‘thanks.’
“Thanks for the support. Thanks for the appreciation. Thanks for buying tickets. Thanks for showing up. Thanks for being loud.
“Thanks for standing through the cold, the rain. Thanks for coming to practice. Thanks for bringing your families. Thanks for bringing your kids. Thanks for driving all the way here.
“Thanks for just being fans of football … Canadian football … Roughrider football.
“The last thing I want to say is ‘keep doing it.’ We want to be great and sometimes it comes with failure, so keep doing it. This team is going to need you. At one point, we’re going to get it right.”
LOGAN FERLAND
Offensive Lineman
“Things definitely picked up this year as far as the fan base. I definitely felt more trust in our organization.
“Just trust us. Believe in the process like we do. Believe in what we’re building here. And don’t let up.
“We’re building something special here. Hang on.”
JERMARCUS HARDRICK
Offensive Lineman
“Thank you, Rider Nation. We felt it all year — the love and support on social media and in real life. We feel it at Save-On-Foods, at Tim Hortons.
“I love you, Rider Nation. I won’t be perfect next year, but I’ll give you everything I’ve got and I’m happy to do it.”
ANTHONY LANIER II
Defensive Lineman
“I love you all. I’m going to miss you all this off-season, as per usual. I can’t wait to see more exciting things happening in the community.
“Keep coming. We need you all in the stands more. We need you all, because we don’t do this just with each other. We do this for you all as well.”
JORGEN HUS
Long Snapper
“Undoubtedly, we have the best fans in the country. I would just love to give a shout-out to Rider Nation.
“Thank you all for being there. I’ve been here for 10 years now and the fans have been here through thick and thin, good times and bad, and they never waver.
“They always show their support, throughout the province. We feel that. We feel their passion.
“Sorry we came up short, but we’re looking forward to getting back at it next year.”
