Dein erstes Forum » ng the place of 2B Daniel Murphy (str

After 15 rounds, there they are again at the top of the AFL ladder, just as they have been for much of the past decade, looking down on the rest of the competition.Hawthorn and Sydney sit first and second respectively, and on Thursday evening play off in one of the most eagerly anticipated home-and-away matches of the year.Longmire extends Swans dealWhile most neutral observers will enjoy watching two potential grand finalists going toe-to-toe, there is another appeal - the knowledge that, come 10.45pm on Thursday, one of those two powerhouses will have suffered a defeat.Thats what its come to: the dominance of the same two or three clubs (Geelong is up there, too) each season is affecting the codes popularity. People are getting bored by the utter predictability of the competition which is beginning to have echoes of the Scottish football league, when Celtic and Rangers shared the championship between them virtually every year.For all the AFL Commissions attempts at levelling the playing field, through the draft, salary cap and equalisation payments, Hawthorn and Sydney continue to defy the social engineering. Like two cockroaches, they just march through the AFLs stream of Mortein and saddle up for another season of success.Hawthorn officials were understandably jubilant after winning the grand final last season, thumping a pathetic West Coast to claim their third premiership in a row.Yet when the leagues two heavyweights, chief executive Gillon McLachlan and chairman Mike Fitzpatrick, walked into the rooms afterwards, their faces hardly radiated happiness and the joy of life.The pair was privately furious that the Hawks had again scuppered their best-laid plans at producing a vibrant, exciting, even, fair-for-all competition. Hawthorn officials were nonplussed by the lack of magnanimity.This is one area where the NRL has had it all over the AFL in recent seasons: the variety of premiers.In the past nine seasons, three clubs have dominated the AFL competition - Geelong, Hawthorn and Sydney - with Collingwood breaking the nexus in 2010. Yet the NRL has produced six different premiers in the past six seasons alone - and four different clubs again that have finished runner-up.There is not the same entrenched superiority among the rugby league clubs. Even fans of the smaller, less established teams know at the start of each season that, if the coach and administration are half-decent, theyve got a fighting chance of featuring in the grand final. That North Queensland, based in tiny Townsville, can knock off the mighty Broncos of Brisbane in the big one - and what a contest last year that proved to be.Of course there is universal respect - and sneaky admiration - for the way the footy operations are run at Hawthorn and Sydney. With peerless administrations that boast clever recruiters and brilliant coaches - and foster rock-solid cultures - the two clubs are the envy of many.But if they play off in the grand final again this year, the collective groan from most non-aligned footy supporters in Melbourne will be heard all the way up the Hume Highway, and across the Nullarbor.This remains the AFLs great challenge. Yet when theyve needed to show a bit of backbone and defend their equalisation policies, and stand up to the rampant self-interest of powerful clubs such as Collingwood and the Hawks, they have tended to cave in like jellyfish.Because of the bleating of the Pies and Hawks, among others, we are now lumbered with a hopelessly compromised system where those two uber-rich clubs are paying not much more each year in equalisation monies than middle-tier clubs such as Richmond and Geelong. And that means the smaller clubs, who have been routinely shafted on the matter of free-to-air TV exposure, Friday night timeslots, lack of blockbuster fixtures and woeful stadium deals, are again short-changed.The Western Bulldogs, or Footscray as they once were, have not tasted final-Saturday success since 1954 - their one and only premiership. Only St Kilda fans with long memories will recall their sole triumph, in 1966, while Melbourne - in spite of a lengthy period dominating the competition in the 1950s and early 60s - have not lifted the premiership cup since 1964.Thats an excruciating wait for three disenfranchised generations of fans at those three clubs.Yet here we are again with those brown-and-gold Hawks, and Sydneys red-and-white Swans, perched atop the ladder and once again leading the charge towards September. Billig Air Max Norge . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. Nike Air Max Sko Tilbud . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. http://www.norgeairmax.com/ . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Nike Air Max Norge . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Nike Air Max Sko Salg . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. PITTSBURGH -- The Washington Nationals clinched a postseason berth and no worse than a tie for the National League East title, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 Saturday night behind 5 1/3 scoreless innings from rookie reliever Reynaldo Lopez.Stephen Drews two-run single capped a three-run first inning for the Nationals, who return to the postseason after a one-year absence. They reduced their magic number to one for their third division title in five years..Lopez (4-3) came on to the start the bottom of the fourth inning with a 6-1 lead and allowed three hits while striking out five and walking one. He was removed a runner on first and one out in the ninth inning.Marc Rzepczynski and Blake Treinen got one out each to end the game, and a pocket of Nationals fans behind the visiting dugout cheered.Joe Ross allowed one run and five hits over 2 2/3 innings in his second start since missing 2 1/2 months with right shoulder inflammation.Drews single came after Bryce Harpers sacrifice fly. Harper also drove in a run with a grounder during a three-run fourth that included three errors and increased the Nationals lead to 6-1. Jayson Werth hit into a run-scoring forceout and Anthony Rendon had a sacrifice fly.Wilson Ramos had three hits for the Nationals. and Drew and Werth added two each.Pittsburgh lost for the just the third time in 10 games but fell four games out of the second NL wild card with eight games remaining.ddddddddddddIvan Nova (12-8) lost his second straight start, giving up six runs -- three earned -- and eight hits in four innings. He had gone 5-0 in his first eight starts after being acquired from the New York Yankees on Aug. 1 in a trade.Rookie Josh Bell homered in the third.TRAINERS ROOMNationals: Drew was taking the place of 2B Daniel Murphy (strained glute), who did not start for the sixth game in a row.Pirates: RF Gregory Polanco (facial bruise) sat out a day after being injured while running in the fence while chasing a fly ball. . LF Starling Marte (back strain) was not in the starting lineup for the 17h time in the last 18 games. . SS Jordy Mercer (right forearm discomfort) did not start for a third consecutive game.UP NEXTNationals: Dusty Baker delayed announcing his Sunday starter until he knew whether Washington had clinched the NL East.Pirates: RHP Tyler Glasnow (0-2, 4.11) will make his third career start and first since July 23. The rookie was placed on the disabled list the following day with shoulder inflammation and has made three relief appearances since being activated Aug. 28. ' ' '