Ottawa REDBLACKS fullback Anthony Gosselin corralled a one-handed catch late in the first half of last week’s game, taking it 10 yards for a first down, before heading for the sideline.
For him, he was just doing his job, but for his teammates, it was a chance to show their appreciation for the man they call Goose. It was smiles all around as they chanted his name and patted him on the head, in what can ultimately be described as a mid-game display of admiration for all of the little things Gosselin does that may go unnoticed.
“That’s a good group of guys,” Gosselin said. “We hang out every day, and we work really hard. For the fullbacks – Marco Dubois and I – we’re doing the hard work. We’re blocking most of the time, and we don’t get the ball. It was a cool opportunity for me to show what I can do, and it was nice to see my teammates happy for me.”
In the past, Gosselin has compared himself to a blocking tight end, saying he gets the same feeling from kicking out and putting his hands through a linebacker’s chest as he does making a catch or running the ball.
The Otterburn, Quebec native prides himself in protecting his quarterback, as a result. In 2024, the REDBLACKS have done a good job with protection, allowing Dru Brown to be sacked only 17 times, the second-fewest among starting quarterbacks with double-digit starts.
“We’ve found the recipe,” Gosselin said. “We have a quarterback who throws the ball at the right time, and he puts us in good positions. The offensive line and Coach Perles have done a good job of making sure they are physical with their blocks, and they don’t take many holding penalties. We have a lot of talent. In Hamilton, we’ll see Drake Centres again, and he’s amazing too.”
The REDBLACKS’ success through the first two-thirds of the season hasn’t necessarily come because the team is that much more talented than in past years, the pieces have been there for some time. Yes, the additions of Dru Brown, Dominique Rhymes, and Adarius Pickett have improved things on the football field, but what they have brought off of it has made the biggest difference.
In past years, games had been close, but more often than not, the REDBLACKS would find a way to lose, and the more it happened, the more it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Now, no matter the situation, they believe they can – nay, will – win.
“We say every day that we have something special here,” Gosselin said. “We never get into a position where we’re unsure if we’re going to win. Every time we had those comebacks at the end of the game, it’s like ‘Hey, 40 seconds? We’ve got this, we have Lewis Ward and Dru Brown, we’ve got this.’ I feel like everybody has that mentality, we find a way to win.”
Gosselin hopes to achieve a handful of things before he calls football quits; he wants to play in 100 games – he’s currently at 85 – he wants to score a touchdown, and most importantly, wants to win a Grey Cup.
The fourth thing, if he can sneak another motive in, is to play long enough for his young children to remember him as a football player.
“Last year, my two kids didn’t understand much of the game, but this year, my son is getting it,” Gosselin said with the smile of a proud father. “He knows what’s a first down, he knows how to read the scoreboard, and after the game, he’s happy that we won. It’s even better than last year.”
With the support of his family, Gosselin has called Ottawa home for the past eight years, including the CFL’s cancelled 2020 season. He’s seen some good times, and lean years, but through it, he has remained committed to the organization.
“They are the first team that believed in me from the beginning,” Gosselin said. “At the combine, they were the first team to talk to me, and they wanted me here. My whole career, when I commit to something, I want to stay there, and prove that I am the best fullback that Ottawa could have.”
All of Ottawa’s success this season has been nice, but Gosselin has plans of ticking that Grey Cup off his bucket list in November, setting his sights on the ultimate prize, rather than getting caught up in the hoopla of clinching scenarios this weekend.
“We just need to continue stacking wins, and have that mentality that we’re going to be physical,” Gosselin said. “We don’t want to get into a cloud and be happy that this is happening, we have to bring the wins at the end of the season, and get things going for the playoffs.”
