TORONTO — OK Tire Labour Day Weekend never disappoints in offering plenty of juicy football matchups.
As rivalries get settled on the field, players battle position by position for a year’s worth of bragging rights and obvious standings consequences.
The latter is especially impactful in 2024 as the West Division features all five teams in the run, while the East has the Montreal Alouettes watching from home as everyone else fights for position.
The BC Lions and Ottawa REDBLACKS open the weekend with a Touchdown Pacific showdown on Saturday, followed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers battling on Sunday, all the way to a doubleheader on Labour Day. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts clash at Tim Hortons Field before the Edmonton Elks and Calgary Stampeders wrap things up at McMahon Stadium.
That means there will be a lot of standout National players doing their thing all over the country. CFL.ca brings you the top five All-Canadian matchups on Labour Day Weekend.
OK TIRE LABOUR DAY WEEKEND
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This is a rematch of a Week 12 matchup that saw Mardner go for 95 yards and two touchdowns in only three catches.
The rookie receiver showed off the explosiveness that made him a first rounder in the 2024 CFL Draft, but now has some tape for the Lions defence to look at and adjust to better contain Ottawa’s passing game during Touchdown Pacific.
This one is as intriguing as they come. Ford is the top defensive player according to PFF (90.9) while also ranking at the top in coverage grade (91.1). The defensive back hasn’t allowed a touchdown since Week 6, forced a league-high 13 incompletions and is allowing only 52.7 per cent of the passes thrown in his direction to be completed.
His job will be to stop two of dynamic National receivers in Samuel Emilus and Ajou Ajou. Emilus is sixth in receiving yards with 630, while Ajou has shown flashes of brilliance that include a four-catch, 110-yard performance against Ford and the Bombers in Week 7.
Metchie is quietly having a very solid season for the Toronto Argonauts in 2024. The veteran ranks fifth in coverage grade among defensive backs and has allowed only one first down catch over the last three games.
He’ll be matched up with Smith who is also flying under the radar for the Tiger-Cats. The pass-catcher is 10th in receiving yards with 531 as part of a Hamilton passing offence that has four receivers in the top 15 in total yards.
Noah Curtis vs. Calgary’s interior offensive linemen
Curtis has been a menace this season for the Elks, registering five sacks over 10 games for the Double E. The defensive tackle has also tallied five hits, 13 hurries and 22 total pressures as a disrupting force in the middle of the line.
He’ll be met on Monday by a trio of Canadians that includes Bryce Bell, Rodeem Brown and rookie Christy Nkanu. The Stampeders as a group have only allowed 16 sacks this season, second best mark among all teams. If they want to stay near the top, they’ll have to find a way to stop Curtis from getting to quarterback Jake Maier on Labour Day.