Hogan: The Rivalry Resumes on Saturday

9,764 days, but who’s counting?

It’s just a friendly reminder to Hamilton Tiger-Cat fans that Saturday will mark that many days since their beloved black-and-gold last won the Grey Cup. If they don’t win this season, April 15 of next year will see the total reach a mind-numbing 10,000 days, hard to fathom in a nine-team league, an eight-team league for more than a decade during that span.

The drought is a major trash-talking point that Toronto Argonaut boosters have at their disposal when chirping fans from down the QEW. Highlighting that almost unbelievable statistic at the top of this column means one thing, it’s time for another rivalry game.

On Saturday the two teams will meet at BMO Field in a vitally important game. The two rivals are tied for second spot in the East, with the Boatmen holding a game in hand, while the Ticats hold the tiebreaker.

But if you ask the Argos, they’ll say it’s just an outing like any other…sort of.

“Just another game,” said Argo defensive halfback DaShaun Amos, before then emphasizing that it isn’t. “Of any other game, this is the one that’s about us. I think everyone in the organization knows this is a must-win game, the way the standings are. On top of that an East divisional game, on top of that being a rivalry game. We have every reason to get our minds set on the must win.”

Amos has been on both sides of this conflict. He played with the Argos from 2022-24 before signing with the Ticats last year. He’s back in Double Blue this season and will be fired up about Saturday’s game, but not during the preparation time leading up to it.

“We have to approach it, first and foremost, as just another game, see the opponent as just another opponent,” he explained to Argonauts.ca. “The atmosphere, the vibes of it being a rivalry game, that’s a game-day type of thing. You can’t focus on those things before game day comes. You can prepare for the noise, the trash talking, things like that; those are the things that you just roll with the punches on game day. If you think about it being a rivalry game, if you put different pressures on it before the game day hits, that’s when it becomes more than just another game.”

If the style of game lives up QEW battles of yore, Saturday’s game will be a physical affair. It’s not unusual for players to get caught up in the rivalry aspect and play past the whistle, which is exactly the kind of game that plays to Peter Nicastro’s strengths.

The center was named Toronto’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman last season and is on his way to capturing that recognition again. CFL.ca recently selected the sixth-year Argo as its mid-season all-star as his position.

Like Amos, he downplays the rivalry aspect, but only to a degree.

“It’s our opponent, it’s just another game,” he said, before adding, “but there’s something special playing Hamilton, they’re so close to home. It’s a great rivalry. It’s been going on for so long, I think that’s the best part, the history behind the rivalry. It’s heated, it’s heated every game, but it’s always good to play Hamilton. It gets us going for sure. Plus, being at home always adds something a little special too. The guys love it. The fans love it. We enjoy it.”

The Calgary native particularly enjoys the physicality that usually accompanies these games. He likes it and so does his head coach. Mike Miller has said from Day One that he wants his team to play extremely physical football.

“Guys like me, and especially me, like that brand of football and I resonate with all that stuff,” Nicastro told Argonauts.ca. “Miller preaching that is awesome. The coach has been great making sure we don’t lose focus on the main goal of being physical.”

We know about the Argos approach to the game, but how about the Ticats? Amos says there’s a difference in the mindset of the teams, and likely the cities heading into a game like this.

“Hamilton’s approach is a little more strict,” explained Amos. “Here in Toronto, we take the rivalry very seriously, but at the end of the day there’s a little bit more love on this side. I think that comes from winning the majority of the games and winning more of the big games. On the other side, this is their Grey Cup in a sense. They want to win this one every year. We do too, for us, we strive to win every rivalry game, but in the case of the games we’ve dropped, we know there’s still more football to be played. I think these are games that, for the other side, they drop too many and it can kill their season. We’re looking to win this game and win the next one as well.”