ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
MISSISSAUGA – The Toronto Argonauts are clearly not done getting their frustrations out from their loss to Hamilton last Friday night.
There were a few ‘scraps’ at practice today; confrontations that saw players on opposing sides of the ball take their emotions a little too far, to the point that coaches and teammates intervened.
With Winnipeg awaiting the Argos’ arrival this weekend, the Boatmen took to the practice field today with a high level of intensity. There were a few ‘scraps’ at practice today; confrontations that saw players on opposing sides of the ball take their emotions a little too far, to the point that coaches and teammates intervened.
Some may see that as cause for concern, but Argos head coach Jim Barker views it more as a byproduct from a group that is simply not satisfied with the way they are playing right now and are trying to elevate their game for when they meet the Blue Bombers on Saturday.
“These guys want to do it right,” Barker said. “They want to go out and play at a very high level and they are focused and intense about their jobs. I feel that we are ready to play and that is a very good thing. It is guys really caring about their job.”
Small verbal and even physical encounters during practice are nothing unusual, especially late in the season when players’ bodies are as sore as they have been all year long. Patience, understandably, tends to run a little more thin than usual.
However, Barker, who quickly diffused the situations by calling an impromptu team meeting at midfield in the middle of their workout, did not seemed anxious about the situation following practice. He even joked at the fact that after a hard week of studying and trying to mimic game situations, the club should focus more on hitting the opposition rather than each other.
“I told the guys after practice that I am glad that they’ll be hitting someone else on Saturday.”