A rolling wave of differing sensations washed over Brad Erdos last Nov. 27 at BMO Field.

Frustration. Helplessness. A mounting sense of disbelief at the cruel, capricious whims of fate.

A week earlier, he’d torn up a knee in the late stages of the Stampeders’ Western Final beat down of the B.C Lions at McMahon Stadium and was subsequently ruled out for the 104th Grey Cup showcase against the Ottawa Redblacks.

So there he stood, on the sidelines, never having taken part in a title tilt at any level, as the on-field drama mounted and mounted.

A part, yes. But apart, too.

“That was so tough,’’ recalls the Lethbridge-born right guard, a vital component of Bo Levi Mitchell’s protective force field. “You cannot imagine. Me and Cam (Thorn) both got hurt in that game.

“You work your (butt) off all year, put in the work, and then can’t do anything when it matters most.

“You always want to be out there, you always think you can help, always want to help. Especially when it’s for a championship.

“Nobody who plays this game grows up dreaming of being a spectator at the Grey Cup.

Erdos is among the Stamps’ Grey Cup debutantes for Sunday’s tilt at TD Place Stadium in the nation’s capital.

This actually represents his third trip to the big game, but a first opportunity to strap on the gear and butt heads.

So definitely a moment to savour.

“In ’14,’’ he recalls, “I was on the practice roster. Last year, as I said, I suffered the injury, so you fly later than the team, on the family charter, so you don’t really feel a part of things in that way.

“So this is the first year where I get to go with the guys, practice, get ready for the game together.

“I can’t wait.

“This is a big game for me. Obviously.”

For New York-born defensive tackle Randy Colling, the Stamps’ top selection this past summer’s draft, it’s a Grey Cup trip in his first season.

“Everybody,’’ says Colling, “wants that ring. Something to remember for the rest of your life. I was talking to my mom about it the other day. I told her how cool it would be to have a ring to show my daughter, Gracelynn, who’s a year-and- a-half old now, when she’s older.

“To show her that her dad was a champion once upon a time.

“Winning (Sunday) was a pretty awesome feeling. For my dad and my family it’s a huge, huge deal, being Canadian and all.

“They were all watching the game near Toronto, where my aunt still lives.

“They sent me pictures and video of themselves watching. All your goals pretty much involve family. Your family family and your team family.

“You’re not doing this for yourself at this point, you’re doing it for everyone around you, to make everyone proud.

“That (win over Edmonton) was the best feeling I’ve had in football. By far.

“But winning this next one, that would top them all.”

Colling’s last championship experience happened only three years ago, in 2014, playing in ArenaBowl XXIII for the Cleveland Gladiators on their home floor of Quicken Loans Arena against the Arizona Rattlers.

“Didn’t go very well,” he reports.

The score?

“A lot to a little.”

(Editors note: 72-32).

The opportunity in Ottawa represents uncharted territory for linebacker Jameer Thurman.

“This is my first time in a championship,’’ he says. “At any level. I’m just glad I’m finally in a game to win it all. High school, college, I was never able to make it that far.

“I’ve been working on this practically all my life. That I’m finally here … I’m so happy right now. Just loving it.

“My biggest game before this? Yesterday (vs. Edmonton).”

SAM linebacker Shaq Richardson, hoping to be healthy for the Argos after missing out on the Eskimos due to a bum knee, traces his last bout of title fever back a ways.

“I’ve been in a few Bowl games in college – the New Mexico Bowl, twice, I think, and the Alamo Bowl – but no championship games,’’ he reports. “I went to the Grey Cup last year but didn’t play.

“So I’d guess my last championship game would be in Pop Warner, at home in California. We won. There were like six players on that team in the NFL right now. Robert Woods. (Cousin) Paul Richardson. A bunch.

“It’s a great thing to be a champion, at any level. To be the best of the best, especially in football where you have to be lucky, good. Where so many things have to come together.

“We came here to win Grey Cups. To be known as champions.”

A distinction the first-time Grey Cuppers are eager to share.

As for Erdos, the defining game of his life will kick off a busy run of keepsake moments.

“There’s the Grey Cup, we get back for my sister’s getting wedding on Dec. 2 and then my wife (Amanda)’s due on Dec. 7,’’ he reports. “So it’s going to be a bit hectic for a couple weeks.

“Sure would be nice to start it all off with a ring.”