There really is truth to the adage practice makes perfect.

Each time Stampeders returner Roy Finch is asked about performances and his secret to staying consistent, his answer is always the same.

“It always starts on the practice field,” Finch said. “It’s the boring stuff people don’t want to see but it makes all the difference. It’s the best thing for you and I’m just really focused on the practice field and very excited about what’s going on and very confident.

“I keep the same swagger and confidence in myself. I know what I can do. Once you believe in yourself to build your confidence, you need to take reps in practice and do what you normally do in a game in practice. You’ve done it repetitively so that it comes easy to you.”

Prior to the bye week, Finch had two big games against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts, returning a punt for 97 yards against the Ticats and then one-upped himself a week later against the Boatmen when he went 103 yards for a major.

The Niceville, Fla., product piled up a total of 164 yards on seven punt returns against the Argos which is a Stampeders record for a road game. Finch is making up for the time lost from a two-game absence earlier this season.

“I can’t get those two games back,” he said. “I knew that when I came back, I wanted to make a statement and I felt like I did but I have to keep going. I have high expectations for myself, it would be great to be a back-to-back all-star.”

With eleven games still to play for the 2017 season, Finch appears to be well on his way to break his numbers from a year ago as he currently sits at 514 punt-return yards, putting him well ahead of the pace to top the Stamps single-season record of 993 he set in 2016.

He’s also cracked the top ten all-time in punt-return yards in Stamps colours with 1,507.

“I want to No. 1,” he said. “Being in the top ten is cool but I want to be No. 1. I have a lot of work to do to get there and I couldn’t do it without my teammates. The things I do help the team be successful, and get to the ultimate goal which is to get the Grey Cup.

“End of the day, it’s about winning championships and getting that Grey Cup ring. I’ll worry about all the individual stats and where I stand once my career is over.”