Oct
Cats could lose trio of starters for 2009
Courtesy Hamilton Spectator:
Most Tiger-Cat fans realize that Jesse Lumsden may have played his final game as a Tiger-Cat.
But when the final whistle blows Saturday on what is expected to be a rock-hard Canad Inns Stadium artificial turf in north Winnipeg, four other Tiger-Cats may have worn the black and gold for the final time.
Rush end Alain Kashama joined the Tiger-Cats Sept. 10. As a prospective free agent, he may or may not be in Hamilton’s plans.
But three other prospective free agents are all starters whose presence would be missed. They are kicker-punter Nick Setta, fullback Jeff Piercy and linebacker Ray Mariuz. They are all expected to play in Winnipeg when the 3-14 Ticats battle the 7-10 Blue Bombers.
The contest is meaningless in terms of the final standings, but a Cat victory could cost the organization the first selection of the 2009 Canadian College Draft.
Game time is 2 p.m. TSN has the broadcast.
Setta would prove a huge loss. The Cats handed the job to the American before the 2007 season but it paid off big-time.
A CFL eastern all-star in his rookie season, Setta leads the league with a 47.7 yard punting average and boasts an 80 per cent success rate on field goals. He was a unanimous choice for the Cats’ 2008 special teams player of the year.
“One of the things I try to pride myself on is focus. Those things obviously will come into your mind but I’ve never given it more than a few seconds thought,” Setta said of the possibility Saturday will be his last game with the Cats. “It’s the last game of the year to show what I can do and make it positive and help my team win.”
Setta will field some National Football League interest in the off-season and more than a few clubs should be interested based on his CFL credentials for the past two seasons. But he added he believes the chances are 50-50 or better that he’ll be back in Steeltown for 2009, “because you feel you have established something here.
“You feel you’ve gained some of the trust of the players. With that, it makes things a lot easier.”
Piercy came to Hamilton from Montreal in September 2007 in the Jason Maas trade.
“It creeps into your mind that I may have played my last game at Ivor Wynne Stadium. I haven’t talked too much to the team about the long-term future so it’s kind of up in the air,” he said.
