Jacobs among contenders in curling finale

As national champions, Ryan Fry knows the opposition will be gunning to beat his Northern Ontario rink at this week’s Players’ Championship.

He teamed with skip Brad Jacobs, second E.J. Harnden and lead Ryan Harnden to win their first Tim Hortons Brier last month and they followed it up with a silver medal at the world championship. They’re well-rested now after a whirlwind month and will be one of the favourites at this week’s season-ending Players’ Championship at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

Fry said the Sault Ste. Mariebased teammates was overwhelmed by the local support and love from curling f ans across the country during their recent run in the spotlight. He added they also learned a lot from the experience.

“You’ve got to check your egos a little bit more, which I think we all learned how to do,” he said Tuesday. “You just learn how little of a margin for error there is to competing against teams that want something as badly as you do.”

The next goal for the Northern Ontario side is qualifying for the Olympic trials — the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings — in December.

Jacobs can lock up a berth in the eight-team men’s event with a victory. He also has a chance to qualify if he doesn’t reach the final, but it depends on the results of other rinks this week.

Ontario’s Glenn Howard, Alberta’s Kevin Martin and Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton have already qualified. Three more spots — based on the Canadian Team Ranking System standings — will be finalized this week.

The women’s field is as deep as the men’s competition.

World champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland is one of the headliners along with national champion Rachel Homan of Ottawa and veterans Jennifer Jones of Manitoba and Heather Nedohin of Alberta.

Jones secured direct entry into the women’s draw of the Olympic trials with her win at the 2011 Canada Cup.