Riders look to strike down late-season doldrums

As the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ 2023 season teeters over the gutter, members of the CFL team headed to the lanes to try and get things going in the right direction.

In the wake of a 26-19 loss Friday to the Calgary Stampeders, Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson took the team bowling over the weekend before the first day of practice Tuesday.

“You don’t have many opportunities to get together off the field because guys are busy and guys have families, so when you have a long week, it makes sense to try to do something,” Dickenson said. “It just happened to fall when it fell but it was nice.

“Trevor (Harris) brought his kids, and one of the other guys brought his girlfriend and their dog — their dog was able to come. It was a fun night. I think the guys enjoyed being able to spend some time together and talk about something other than football.”

The trip to the bowling alley might be the latest thing the Riders’ coaches try to do to get the team out of the recent rut it has found itself in.

Not only was the loss to Calgary the Riders’ sixth straight loss, but it also took their playoff destiny out of their hands. In order to qualify for the post-season, Saskatchewan will need to finish with more points than the Stamps since Calgary won the season series between the teams.

Saskatchewan (6-11-0) will play its final game of the regular season on Saturday against the Toronto Argonauts before its final bye week of the season. Kickoff for the game at Mosaic Stadium is set for 2 p.m.

The Stamps (5-11-0) will take on the B.C. Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers to end their regular-season slate.

“Ultimately you have to play better and practise better but it never hurts,” Dickenson said. “It never hurts when you can bring people together for whatever it is — a meal, a night out bowling, watch a ball game, or go to a movie together.

“Anytime you can bring people together, it helps your team not only on the field but it helps the working environment and it’s a fun thing to do. That’s one of the goals we had at the beginning of the year — work hard and have fun — and that’s what we are going to continue to do.”

Quarterback Jake Dolegala, who is 2-6 as a starter this season, said doing something like bowling can take the players’ mind off the current tough times the team is facing.

“Anytime you can get together with the guys and the coaching staff outside of the facility, it’s always a good time,” Dolegala said. “It helps.”

But the Riders aren’t changing much this week as they look to get back into the win column for the first time since Sept. 3, when they posted a 32-30 win over the Bombers.

“We just have to execute. We keep talking about it, but we have the players in the building (and) we have the coaches to get it done. We just have to put it all together,” Dolegala said.

While the Argos have had first place in the East Division wrapped up for weeks and it remains to be seen who will dress for the Double Blue on Saturday, Dickenson expects a tough game no matter who’s on the opposing team’s roster.

“In this league, you can’t sit everybody; you only have so many guys on your team. They are going to bring most of their guys, if not all of them. They might play their top guns,” Dickenson said. “We’re expecting to see their best players and we’re expecting to see their best game.”