The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ kicking competition between Alex Hale and Dawson Hodge is heating up. As the team returned to practice this week, Hodge took the vast majority of kicking reps Wednesday. “It was good,” Hodge told reporters following team activities. “We did a bunch of situations and it was nice every time to reset; instead of just back-to-back kicks – and in different positions. All that was pretty cool and it was fun and getting an opportunity to do that in front of everybody.” Hodge was signed by the Roughriders last week. The 24-year-old played five college seasons at Wilfred Laurier, handling both kicking and punting duties – making 51 of 76 field goal attempts with the Golden Hawks. The specialist attended Calgary Stampeders training camp earlier this year, and camps with the Roughriders and Toronto Argonauts in 2025. Hodge played in one 2025 pre-season game with the Riders, making his lone field goal attempt. “It’s great because being here before last year was awesome,” the rookie kicker said. “I know some of the guys already coming in, which has been pretty sweet. I know it’s great to be back here.” Hodge says he had already lined up a job back home in Vancouver and got the call from the Riders to ink a deal the day prior to his scheduled start. “There’s a lot of guys at home wishing they could have the opportunity,” he said. “It’s good to be out there for sure.” At practice Wednesday, the Riders’ coaching staff attempted to simulate several late-game, high-leverage kicks. Hodge looked near perfect, completing all his field goal attempts – including a 57-yarder which went right down the middle. Head Coach Corey Mace was impressed with the effort but adds a decision between Hodge or Alex Hale has yet to be made. “[Hodge] looked good,” said Mace. “We put Dawson through the ringer like we did with all the kickers in camp – he never had a chance to do that. So [we] put him through the ringer today; a little pressure cooker situation. But like anything else, we’ll make a decision at the end of the week.” Hale, who attended Oklahoma State University, is in his rookie season in the CFL. The Australian global kicker spent the 2024 season in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers. Signing in Saskatchewan this spring, Hale is 14/19 on field goal attempts, with his long at 48 yards. However, he is just 1/5 on field goals longer than 40 yards. Hale was 2/2 on field goals in Friday’s win over Ottawa, adding another 3 extra-point conversions. Should the Riders try out Hodge instead this week, it would be his first regular season game in the CFL. “It’d be special,” Hodge said. “I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to do that; I’ve had a few preseasons now to get ready. I feel like I’m ready to go and we’ll see what happens but I’m excited.” Saskatchewan plays Saturday evening on the road in Hamilton against the Tiger-Cats. Final roster decisions are expected Friday morning. With files from Blair Farthing
