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.
Article content
Article content
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.
Article content
He also considered sticking around Canada in hopes of getting back on a CFL roster.
Article content
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.
Article content
Article content
'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.'
Article content
'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.'
Article content
While Couch had his own bag of footballs he could practice with, Hus also put him to work.
Article content
'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.
Article content
'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.' '
Article content
'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.
Article content
'And yeah, we put him to work in the backyard, but we fed him well.'
Article content
And no, Couch didn't stay on the couch. Instead, he got the spare bedroom.
Article content
'We didn't put Couch on the couch,' chuckled Hus.
Article content
Article content
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.
Article content
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.
Article content
'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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
39 minutes ago
- CBC
Muslim community in Halifax celebrates Eid al-Adha
The Muslim community in Halifax gathered to celebrate Eid al-Adha on Saturday. Also known as the "Festival of Sacrifice," the event lasts several days and celebrates the prophet Ibrahim. Organizers say most importantly, it's about bringing people together.
CBC
39 minutes ago
- CBC
Watch the preliminary round from Day 3 of Canadian swimming trials
Click on the video above at 12:30 p.m. ET to watch Day 3 of the preliminary round at the Canadian swimming trials from Victoria. The days action features three-time Olympic champion Summer McIntosh competing in the women's 200-metre individual medley race. Seven-time Olympic medallist Penny Oleksiak and Taylor Ruck will race in the women's 50m freestyle, while Olympic silver medallist Josh Liendo and three time world medallist Yuri Kisil take part in the men's 50m freestyle event. Monday also feature six-time Para champion Aureilie Rivard, who competes in the women's 100m freestyle race. McIntosh starts off with a bang McIntosh has already started the event in a big way. On Saturday, the 18-year-old Toronto native smashed the women's 400-metre freestyle world record, touching the wall in three minutes 54.18 seconds. McIntosh shaved the record by 1.20 seconds set by Australia's Ariarne Titmus (3:55.38) in 2023 at the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan. "Going into tonight I knew that my training had been strong the past couple months and I knew I was able to do something special, but I did not think I would be that fast," McIntosh, who shaved the record by 1.20 seconds, told CBC's Devin Heroux. WATCH | McIntosh demolishes world record : Summer McIntosh sets national record with 800m freestle victory at Canadian swimming trials 12 hours ago Duration 11:26 Toronto's Summer McIntosh wins the women's 800-metre freestyle final at the Canadian swimming trials from Victoria, B.C., with a national record time of 8:05.07. McIntosh followed that performance with a dominant effort Sunday in the women's 800m race. In front of a loud, inspiring audience at the Saanich Commonwealth Place pool, McIntosh set a Canadian record in finishing with a time of 8:05.07. WATCH | McIntosh sets national record in 800m freestyle at Canadian trials: Summer McIntosh demolishes world record in 400m freestyle at Canadian swimming trials 2 days ago Duration 7:25 Toronto's Summer McIntosh wins the women's 400-metre freestyle final at the Canadian swimming trials from Victoria, B.C., with a world record time of 3:54:18. The 18-year-old from Toronto fell just short of American Katie Ledecky's 8:04.12 world record. Shaving nearly five seconds off her previous personal best, McIntosh's time stands as the third-fastest women's 800m performance in history. "I'm always shooting to break records and push the boundaries of the sports, but overall I have to be happy with the best time. Those don't come by very often once you get to the top level of the sport," McIntosh told Heroux after the race.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Inside the legal battle brewing over who can access this rock in northern Ontario
It looks like your average rock on the picturesque shoreline of Lake Nipissing, but beneath the surface lies a contentious property dispute that now involves the local township, surveyors, and a nonprofit organization. Some locals in Nipissing Township are strongly attached to this area known as 'The Rock,' which has been used for decades to access the water and connect with nature. In 2022, however, the property came under new ownership, which upended a prior understanding of who owns what on this particular lot that crosses both privately and publicly owned lands. This led to the creation of Save the Rock, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving public access to the site through legal action. The group argues it has a right of way over the property that leads to the Rock, and that the new owners of the land have blocked passage through fencing, landscaping and surveillance cameras. The group's members claim the township has failed to enforce its own bylaws and plans, and that the survey commissioned by the new owners was inaccurate. They've submitted dozens of affidavits to the court. These include testimonies from local residents who describe how the Rock has been used by the public over the past 80 years, and from other surveyors who describe how the recent survey used incorrect water levels and artificially inflated the size of the private lot at the expense of public lands. The owners of the property used to access the Rock, however, deny any wrongdoing. In court documents, their lawyer describes how they "must endure the stress and anguish of legal proceedings and their cost as well as being ostracized in the community as a result of [Save the Rock]'s conduct." They say people trespassing on their property have left behind garbage, human and dog excrement, and drug paraphernalia. They say the fauna has been damaged and fires have been lit. 'A special space' For Save the Rock's David Cernanec, this property boundary dispute is about a larger societal question. "It's ironic, Nipissing Township probably has the most shoreline out of any municipal authority on the lake here, and we've got almost no access to it," he said. Like many local residents, Gail Driedger has fond childhood memories of the Rock. "We used to visit it as a family when I was a little girl," she said. Driedger says it's a special space for many reasons: it's relatively accessible (she's suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for decades), it used to be a reading spot for her and her son, and it's where her husband proposed to her. "In a way, it's where our family formally started." Now the court will have to weigh in on the validity of the survey, the merits of Save the Rock's claims, the municipal shore allowance and the township's responsibility. It is slated to hear the motions in 2026.
