The Saskatchewan Roughriders have landed two of the most coveted free agents.

Weyburn product Brendon LaBatte and former Toronto Argonaut Dominic Picard and Regina’s Paul Woldu were officially introduced at Mosaic Stadium on Thursday.

The offensive linemen have been two of the best in the league over the last few seasons.

LaBatte happy to be home

LaBatte is coming off one of his finest seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Riders opened their coffers to land the University of Regina graduate.

He said it was a difficult decision to leave Winnipeg and to say goodbye to his old teammates.

“At the end of the day this is the best fit for me and to have Dominic come along with – that’s a big thing and I’m extremely happy about it,” LaBatte said at a news conference on Thursday.

The Blue Bombers and Eskimos were also in the running to land the all-star offensive guard but the Riders offer was too good to refuse.
After looking at all of the options, LaBatte decided the Riders would be the best fit for him and he is very happy to represent the team that he watched growing up. He played high school and college football at Mosaic Stadium and he described coming back to Regina to play in the green and white as a dream come true.

“To be able to play in front of my friends and family and to know how much this team means to this province, I’ve lived it my whole life,” he said.

LaBatte got emotional when he talked about becoming a father in August and how this move will bring him closer to a support network.

“That was a big factor, to have grandparents that are close by that meant a lot to me,” he said.

He also referred to the ability to help quarterback Darian Durant on the field.

“When it comes to pass protection and running the ball I hope that by coming here we can open up some more options for Darian,” LaBatte said.

While LaBatte helps solidify the guard position with the future of perennial all-star Gene Makowsky in question, Picard upgrades the Roughriders centre spot on the offensive line. The Riders went through some growing pains in their first season following Jeremy O'Day's retirement.

For Picard, the tradition of football was an important part of what brought him to the Roughriders organization.

Both Picard and LaBatte were brought into the CFL when General Manager Brendan Taman held the same position Winnipeg.

“Knowing that Brendan was interested about coming here, it was another part of my decision that made it easy,” Picard said.

He also had praise for the offensive line coach Kris Sweet describing him as one of the best in the league.

“I want to win I feel it is the perfect fit for me here, that’s why I made my decision here,” Picard said.

GM talks LaBatte, Picard and Fantuz

Taman made note of how LaBatte rose quickly as a player who surprised people even in his rookie year. He said Picard brings a different style to his play. In his opinion both are strong players at the top of the league for their positions.

“I don’t think it takes a genius to figure out it’s a pretty big upgrade,” Taman said.

Even with the high price of LaBatte and Picard, the Roughriders management said they are still in the Andy Fantuz sweepstakes.

“Our plan changes by the minute to be honest with you but we’re still going to be aggressive and do what we can to get Andy back,” said Taman.

Fantuz was being linked to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Wednesday night. His agent said the receiver will likely make a decision when he returns from Africa. The Roughriders say they're doing all they can to keep the receiver in Green and White.

He noted the tough decisions Fantuz will have to make, saying it’s not fun to be a player during free agency.

“There’s obviously some teams that want him but we have some things working in our favour and obviously the organization and his teammates are two of those,” Taman commented.

As for Woldu, the Regina native said growing up in the atmosphere of Rider pride definitely stuck with him. His decision to sign was all about timing, opportunity and looking at the new coaching staff.

“I’ve squared off against this team two times in a row in the big game and you know it was a matter of play here or play there,” Waldu said. “It just goes to show the type of team that they have here.”

He added that he is ready to come in and contribute in any way he can to bring a championship back to the province.

Edited by News Talk Radio’s Adriana Christianson