The CFL is back, and we’re looking at a team a day leading up to regular-season kickoff on June 23. Today, the Toronto Argonauts.
Offensive tackle Josh Bourke and defensive tackle Brian Bulcke both signed with the Toronto Argonauts this off-season, and the Windsor natives and long-time friends were, well, pretty pumped about joining forces.
The two have played alongside other Windsor natives before. Bourke suited up with JP Bekasiak, Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter on the Montreal Alouettes. And Bulcke not only played varsity-level football with Andy Fantuz on the Essex Ravens, but also teamed up with him on the two-time East Division champion Tiger-Cats.
But this new union is different because both are top players at their positions who chose the same free-agent destination in the same year, and were the prize acquisitions for the Argos in the off-season.
“Both of us are leaders,” Bourke says. “I think we lead in different ways. [Bulcke] might be more rah-rah than me, but we also want to bring our experience to the locker room.”
Sure, moving to BMO Field and hosting the Grey Cup means that Argos fans already have plenty to be pleased about. But one look at the string of texts the new Boatmen exchanged during free agency should crank things up a notch.
In the text-exchange image below, Bourke kicks things off with the news he signed with Toronto.
“It was serendipity for us to end up in the same spot,” Bulcke says. “We always joked about it. But then stars started to align and we both hit free agency [at] the same time and the jokes started to become something serious. The conversations turned from jokes to ‘Hey, you go run a muck on the o-line and I’ll do the same on the d-line.'”
The talks were ongoing as both linemen share the same agent, but it all came to fruition over the holidays.
“I go to Moxie’s on Christmas Eve every year,” says Bourke. “I was meeting up with my buddies and I texted [Bulcke] to meet up for a couple drinks, and we’re just shooting the s–t at the bar about how we were both going to be free agents. I didn’t know if it was going to be a reality or whatever but we were like, ‘Hey it would be pretty cool to play with each other and both be in Toronto because we are both Ontario guys.’”
| Team outlook | Toronto Argonauts |
|---|---|
| 2015 record | 10-8 (3rd in East) |
| Incoming players | Josh Bourke (OL), Brian Bulcke (DT), Keon Raymond (LB), Lirim Hajrullahu (K/P) |
| Outgoing players | Chad Owens (WR), Trevor Harris (QB), Swayze Waters (K/P), Greg Jones (LB) |
The draw for Bulcke was clear. Not only was he already living in Toronto, but he had been following in Bourke’s footsteps for a while.
“When I was younger, Bourke was definitely a guy we looked up to as a local Windsor guy who made something of himself. I don’t think he would remember, but I’d be at the gym trying to emulate his workouts,” Bulcke says with a laugh.
The two didn’t become acquainted until they both were in the CFL. And when Bulcke moved from Calgary to Hamilton to become East Division rivals with Bourke’s Alouettes, not only did the on-field rivalry heat up because of proximity, but the friendship grew as both were very active members of the CFLPA.
Bourke sees the Toronto opportunity as a second lease on life.
“I was frustrated my last few years in Montreal. I don’t regret my time there at all. The organization was great to me and I had a great nine years in Montreal. The owner, Bob Wetenhall, was great to me but the last few years were frustrating,” says Bourke. “I’m only going to play two or three more years and I wanted a chance to win a Grey Cup. I think Toronto gave me the best opportunity and Bulcke feels the same way.
More 2016 CFL season previews: BC Lions; Calgary Stampeders; Edmonton Eskimos; Saskatchewan Roughriders; Winnipeg Blue Bombers; Hamilton Tiger-Cats; Ottawa Redblacks; keep checking back for more as the regular season approaches
“With everything going on in Toronto—new ownership, moving stadiums, hosting the Grey Cup—there is a resurgence of football in Toronto and obviously it helps if you’re a good team.”
Bulcke and Bourke can lean on a lot of collective experience to ensure the Argos get to that place, and after signing in Toronto their exchanges quickly turned from celebration to strategizing.
“Maybe it’s that Windsor water, but immediately our conversations went to ‘What are some cool things you did in Montreal? What are some cool things you did in Hamilton? What did you do in college?'” Bulcke says. “It went really quickly to how do we make the most out of this and we still talk about it. So we are excited to walk the walk and stop talking.”
The added benefit for both is now they won’t have to face each other on the field. Instead, they’ll be hanging out pre- and post-game at BMO and representing Windsor the whole way. And they’ll be hoping that next annual holiday trip to Moxie’s will be include a booth so they can make room for the Grey Cup.