Sonstiges » Its going to have to be me to lead the charge

Sunday, October 2Melbourne Storm ($1.77) vs Cronulla Sharks ($2.10), ANZ Stadium at 7:15pmTeam news:The Storm look set to go into the NRL Grand Final with a clear bill of health after coming through their preliminary final win over the Raiders unscathed.The match will also represent the final game in Melbourne colours for a number of players who have signed elsewhere including Blake Green (Manly), Marika Koroibete (Melbourne Rebels rugby) and possibly Ben Hampton (linked with North Queensland) and Kevin Proctor (linked with Gold Coast).Cronulla are also relatively injury-free and could be boosted further by the possible return of hard-running forward Sam Tagataese from a shoulder injury.The NRL Integrity Unit are investigating Andrew Fifitas comments about having no remorse for his public support of convicted killer Kieran Loveridge but it has placed unnecessary attention on the Sharks ahead of the biggest game in the clubs 50 year history.Key head-to-head: Cooper Cronk vs Chad TownsendThis clash throws up several key confrontations including Cameron Smith vs Michael Ennis, Cameron Munster vs Ben Barba and Jesse Bromwich vs Andrew Fifita but I believe the two No7s hold the key.Townsend demonstrated great mental strength to bounce back from being hooked during the Sharks Week 1 finals win against the Raiders to outplay the NRLs best player Johnathan Thurston against the Cowboys last Friday.Cronk will pose another challenge; many might say he will be a bigger challenge based on this years form. The Storm halfback has a reputation for being one of the most professional athletes in rugby league and its a safe bet to assume his preparation will be timed perfectly and he looms as the biggest danger to the Sharks.Cronks impact can never be eliminated completely but if the Sharks, in particular Townsend, can limit his input then they will go a long way to finally adding the biggest prize of all to their barren trophy cabinet.TeamsSharks: 1. Ben Barba 2. Sosaia Feki 3. Jack Bird 4. Ricky Leutele 5. Valentine Holmes 6. James Maloney 7. Chad Townsend 8. Andrew Fifita 9. Michael Ennis 10. Matt Prior 11. Luke Lewis 12. Wade Graham 13. Paul Gallen Interchange: 14. Gerard Beale 15. Chris Heighington 16. Sam Tagataese 17. Jayson Bukuya 18. Kurt Capewell 19. Joseph Paulo.Storm: 1. Cameron Munster 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 3. Will Chambers 4. Cheyse Blair 5. Marika Koroibete 6. Blake Green 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Jordan McLean 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Tohu Harris 13. Dale Finucane Interchange: 14. Kenny Bromwich, 15. Tim Glasby 16. Christian Welch 17. Ben Hampton 18. Young Tonumaipea 19. Slade Griffin 20. Matt White 21. Felise Kaufusi 22. Ryan Morgan.OfficialsLead Referee: Matt CecchinAssist Referee: Ben CumminsSenior Review?Official: Bernard SuttonReview Officials: Luke Patten and Ashley KleinTouch Judges: Jeff Younis and Brett SuttorKey Stats:The Storm have won 11 of their previous 13 meetings with the Sharks dating back to 2008The Storm boast an overall 65.6 percent winning record against the SharksThe Storm have won the only previous finals meeting between the two clubsUBET verdict:$1.77 Storm, $2.10 SharksMelbourne has won in covered in five of their last six against Cronulla, but none of those contests were Grand Finals, and punters appear content to confine history to the dustbin.Our traders werent entirely sure which team the cash would come for as both are brimming with villains and struggle with support outside of their catchment areas, but it would appear the Sharks will be the ones adopted by the bandwagoners.As it stands, Gallen, Fifita Maloney and Co. have captured 75% of the head-to-head investment and 66% of the bets, with Melbourne struggling to garner much in the way of financial support.That said, the expectation is the betting will flatten out closer to Sunday as the serious money comes for the Storm.Weather: Sunny day with a clear night. A?5 percent chance of rain, light 15 to 20 km/h northerly winds with an expected temperature of 22 degrees at kick-off.Prediction:?Melbourne won the minor premiership by beating Cronulla and I expect them to produce a repeat performance to claim the NRLs major prize and their third premiership.The Storm have too many winners in their side that know how to win the big-games -- Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith are proven performers under pressure. Melbourne arguably has the best pack in the NRL, the best prop in the game in Jesse Browwich and in my opinion the most dangerous back three in Cameron Munster, Markia Koroibete and?Suliasi Vunivalu so I just think they will have too much class.Cronulla have surprised everybody this season -- probably even themselves and their most loyal fans. Any team that goes unbeaten for 16 consecutive rounds is a genuine premiership contender but three wins from the previous eight starts isnt the most convincing form guide heading into a premiership decider.In addition, one of those losses was against the Storm less than a month ago and if the Sharks dont start well, the mental demons could start to creep in. I think Cronulla can go with Melbourne early but once the emotion subsides and the arm-wrestle takes over, I expect the Storm to prevail.?Tip: Storm by 10Enter your ESPNfootytips NRL selections Rick Adelman Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Richie Regan Jersey . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. https://www.cheapkingsbasketball.com/1582b-kyle-guy-jersey-kings.html . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Peja Stojakovic Jersey . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. Willie Cauley-Stein Jersey . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. PORTLAND, Ore. -- The matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night at the Moda Center features a duel between two of the better shooting guards in the NBA.Chicagos Jimmy Butler collected 37 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals Saturday in a 116-105 win over the Washington Wizards.Portlands CJ McCollum scored 21 points to help the Trail Blazers defeat Denver 112-105 at home Sunday night.Butler is the first Bull to reach those figures since Scottie Pippen had 37, eight and eight in December 1995. The 2016 U.S. Olympian, who is averaging 24.3 points, is the first Bull who has scored at least 20 points with three steals in four straight games since Pippen (1994-95).I cant express how much easier it makes it on everyone else having someone like that on both sides of the floor, Chicago center Robin Lopez said.Over the past four games, Butler is averaging 29 points, seven rebounds, 5.3 rebounds and four steals and is a collective 42 for 46 at the line.Were putting the ball in his hands bringing the ball down the floor a lot more than we did a year ago, second-year Bulls coach Fred Holberg said. Last year, wed bring him off action to get him to the top of the floor. Now hes bringing it down and going to work. We want the ball in Jimmys hands because of his ability to draw contact.Butler is providing more vocal leadership, too, than ever before for the Bulls (6-4).The thing I love about him is how he has continued to talk and been a great leader with his voice this year, Holberg said.Said Butler: Its going to have to be me to lead the charge when it comes tto coming out with the right energy, making sure were doing everything were supposed to do at both ends.dddddddddddd Im definitely capable of doing that.McCollum also is on a scoring tear of late, with three 30-plus-point games in his past five games for the Blazers (7-4).CJ seems to have found his rhythm, Portland coach Terry Stotts said of the 2015-16 NBA Most Improved Player Award recipient. I go back to when everybody was so concerned about him in preseason. He has showed he is picking up where he left off last year.That was a breakout season for McCollum in his first year as a starter. He averaged 20.8 points while shooting 44.8 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from 3-point range and 82.7 percent from the free-throw line.So far this season, McCollum is boasting better numbers across the board -- a 22.1-point average while shooting 47.2 percent from the field, 43.1 percent on 3-point attempts and 85.7 percent from the line. He is also averaging 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a combo guard, since Stotts is employing him at the point when Damian Lillard is out of the game.I just want to do whatever it takes to get on the court, McCollum said. When Im playing alongside Dame, I get a lot of opportunities off the ball, a lot of shots in the flow of the offense. When I play (as point guard) with the second unit, Im trying to make the right decisions on the pick-and-roll, and when Dame comes back in, to get him off the ball some as well, because hes a unique scorer. ' ' '