Corey Mace continues to support Alex Hale, admits Riders have looked at different kicker options

Photo courtesy: Arthur Ward/CFL.

Saskatchewan Roughriders’ head coach Corey Mace continues to support Global kicker Alex Hale.

“People would say our kicking was a struggle last year and things ended up OK for us,” Mace told the media. “With Alex, we’ve got faith in the kid. He’s done some really good things for us in the totality of stuff, but he’s gotta make his kicks. He knows that and it’s no secret. I know he’s working his tail off at it, so we’ll keep rolling.”

Through seven games in 2026, Hale has made 12-of-17 field goal attempts. His 70.6 percentage puts him second-worst in the three-down league, while he is one-of-five from 40 yards or more in his young career. The 28-year-old CFL rookie missed a field goal for a third straight game in Edmonton, which came after he shanked a 42-yarder in Week 8. That miss at Mosaic Stadium possibly cost Saskatchewan an important West Division win.

Asked if the Riders are thinking about signing another kicker, Mace indicated he was open to the possibility.

“You always look at all those different options; we’ll see. Ultimately, we’re going to have to send somebody out there to get the job done,” Mace said. “Right now, Alex has been here and doing that. Gonna have faith in him to do that. If we choose to bring somebody in for competition, we’ll always do what’s best for the team. Alex is more than capable of doing it; we’ve seen it.”

Following a training camp and preseason competition between Hale and American Jonathan Kim, the Riders decided to go with the Gosford, Australia native. That decision was made despite the fact that Kim went five-for-five in two exhibition games with 48- and 51-yard makes, while Hale went one-for-three, with his lone make coming from 28 yards. However, he did make all three extra point attempts in Saskatoon.

The Riders (5-2) host Ottawa (0-7) on Friday, August 7 with kickoff scheduled for 9 p.m. EDT. The Redblacks are coming off a 34-13 loss to Montreal.

The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 620 CKRM in Regina or TSN 1200 in Ottawa.