Courtesy Regina Leader Post:

REGINA - The Grey Cup is in the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ locker-room.

Don’t panic, all of you superstitious members of the Rider Nation. The Roughriders are not looking beyond Sunday’s West Division final against the B.C. Lions. They haven’t booked their trips to Toronto for the Grey Cup Game on Nov. 25.

There are only 3×5-inch photos of CFL’s ultimate prize posted on most of their lockers. Last Thursday, Riders assistant coach Richie Hall presented each player with a photo of the Grey Cup. The pictures include the names and numbers of each player on the spot the Grey Cup reserved for the winning participants in the game.

“Coach Hall gave us those as a visual and motivation tool,” Roughriders slotback Andy Fantuz said Tuesday. “The Grey Cup is the ultimate goal and that is what we play for. We know that we have to take care of each step to get there. Right now all of our focus is on B.C.”

The Roughriders returned to work on Tuesday. They had Monday off after beating the Calgary Stampeders 26-24 in Sunday’s West Division semifinal at Mosaic Stadium. The players weren’t on the field but the locker-room was open to media, an opportunity that is usually limited to post-game.

The Riders are back on the turf today, Thursday and Friday before heading to Vancouver for Sunday’s West final.

Hall delivered a speech before Thursday’s practice about being focused on a visual aspect of the team’s goal of winning Saskatchewan’s first Grey Cup since 1989.

“He wanted us to visualize having the Grey Cup here with us,” said Riders linebacker Reggie Hunt. “Every time that I look in my locker, I see my Grey Cup right there. The guys have really taken it to heart and they are all visualizing it.”

The Riders have adopted similar motivational tools in the past. In 1989, each player wore tape on the ring fingers as a symbol of their pursuit of a Grey Cup ring. The opportunity to play for a Grey Cup is more than enough motivation for Hunt.

“I’ve been in the playoffs for six years and I don’t have a Grey Cup ring,” Hunt said. “The picture looks good in my locker but I want the real thing.”

Running back Corey Holmes was one player who didn’t have his picture displayed on his locker. He said he keeps it in his Bible beside photos of his family.

“When I open my Bible I see pictures of my family and the Grey Cup,” Holmes said. “It’s a just a reminder of what we compete for and what the team’s goal is. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get your name on the trophy. Probably 90 per cent of the guys in this room don’t have their names on that trophy. That is something big that we can accomplish as a team and as a group.”

Jeremy O’Day’s photo shares space above his locker with photos of his two kids. It may be O’Day’s 11th season in the CFL but he still needs something to keep him going through the year.

“It’s such a long season that it’s easy to lose focus,” said O’Day, who won the 1997 Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts. “Over 18 games, you see the same guys every day and it’s like any other job. Sometimes a small thing like that can do a lot to a group of grown men. Every little bit helps.”

The Roughriders are looking for any assistance heading into the final. Saskatchewan has reached the West final four of the last five years but hasn’t been able to break through. The Riders have also lost to the Lions in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 finals.

It won’t be any easier this year. B.C. was the league’s top team with a 14-3-1 record, including a 2-1 series lead over the Roughriders. The Lions are loaded with offensive and defensive talent, two attributes which are further enhanced by the crowd noise at BC Place.

“We understand when we go in there that there won’t be much communication at all,” O’Day said. “We’ve played there before and we’ll work on that all week. We will be prepared.”