Roughriders' Joe Couch happy to be back with team after being cut
Joe Couch can get back to tracking ball flights and not airline flights.
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After being released by the Saskatchewan Roughriders on May 14 during the second round of training camp cuts, the 30-year-old punter considered flying back home to Australia as he pondered his future.
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He also considered sticking around Canada in hopes of getting back on a CFL roster.
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The decision was made easier when Roughriders long snapper Jorgen Hus extended an invitation to Couch to stay at his Saskatoon home with his family of four as he waited for another opportunity.
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'I was kind of just waiting to see what was happening across the league, and then, yeah, if I didn't get a call, I'd be on my way back to Australia,' said Couch, who spent the 2024 season on Saskatchewan's practice roster. 'I was honestly prepared to leave Wednesday when I got cut, but I was like, 'You know what? I'll stick around because I've worked hard and I think if, after a couple of weeks, maybe a team will bring me in.'
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'It's such a funny game, like anything can happen, so you've just got to stay ready and that's what I was doing.'
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While Couch had his own bag of footballs he could practice with, Hus also put him to work.
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'He was cooking me up beautiful dinners so I was like, 'I want to help this guy out,' ' said Couch. 'He was planning on getting all these trees in before he left to Regina (for the third week of training camp). So we had some holes to dig and some evergreens to put in.
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'And babysit. He's got two girls, so you know, if one's being a bit of a hassle, I'll just jump in and be like 'Alright, let's watch TV, or let's put on some Paw Patrol or something.' '
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'He was a great babysitter,' said Hus, father of a nearly two-year-old and an eight-week-old. 'It was good having him around. He was definitely a lot of help around the house and was good with the kids.
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'And yeah, we put him to work in the backyard, but we fed him well.'
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And no, Couch didn't stay on the couch. Instead, he got the spare bedroom.
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'We didn't put Couch on the couch,' chuckled Hus.
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Following the retirement of Adam Korsak this off-season, Couch was in competition with fellow Aussie Bailey Flint for Saskatchewan's starting punting job this year.
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However when Couch was released, Flint handled all the punting duties in Saskatchewan's first pre-season game against Winnipeg — averaging 40.6 yards per punt. Hoping to increase that statistic, the Roughriders opted to bring back some competition with Couch being re-signed on Monday.
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'Obviously being here last year, they recognized that I could just fit in and get the job done,' said the 5-foot-11, 210-pounder. 'And obviously I was really happy to be back when they called me so I get to see the boys again.'
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