NEWS » season because of inflammation in his right knee

The first week of the finals are in the books as ESPNs NRL expert Brett Kimmorley casts his eye?over which teams have what it takes to win it all while laying down some hard truths on one of the top sides in his latest edition of Set of Six.Panthers are title challengersWhat an exciting team this Panthers side is to watch. They trailed 6-4 at halftime and in the second forty, you really got to see how many football options the Panthers have.?They play quite a lot of ad-lib football and because of that theyre going to be very damaging and very hard to stop in this years competition.Broncos are no one-trick poniesThe Broncos are usually a great defensive side and we often overlook just how good they can be in attack. They scored a whopping 44 points in a semi-final, which is a fair outcome and extraordinarily exciting for their fans.That performance should give them a lot of confidence going forward and put them in the right frame of mind to cause a potential upset against the Cowboys on Friday night.Sharks prove doubters wrong Nobody gave the Sharks any chance of defeating the Raiders on Saturday night - with Paul Gallen ruled out on the day of the game, Sam Tagataese missing and Wade Graham getting hurt 10 minutes into the match, it was amazing they were able to turn their form around.They were one of the sides that really limped into the finals and didnt carry great form into the match but on the back of a brilliant defensive effort and amazing resilience, I thought it was an incredible win.They say this time of year is a whole new competition and brand of football and the Sharks kindly reminded us why they went unbeaten for 16 matches in a row during the home-and-away season.Raiders cant win without AustinCanberra hooker Josh Hodgson went down with around 30 minutes to go during the game against the Sharks, and the Raiders looked completely void of attacking options. Now with Hodgson in doubt for the remainder of the season, Canberra need Blake Austin and his return next weekend against Penrith couldnt come at a better time.There was more than enough in that game against the Sharks to suggest the Raiders shouldve won that game. Austin needs to play and if he doesnt, I cant see Canberra advancing any further in the competition unfortunately.Storm enjoy big-game pressureWe saw the Storms composure in a crucial round 26 game against the Cronulla Sharks, when they had a 16 from 16 completion rate at halftime. They just know how to control a match, grind a game out and they very rarely make mistakes.Against the Cowboys, I thought that was exactly how they won the game. They are the best in the competition at controlling the contest, behind Cameron Smith who controls the ship. If youre going to beat the Storm youve got to play the house down.?Refs need to quell influenceUnfortunately they have been the topic of conversation over the course of the weekend and have become the headlines out of a few games.Theyve made some howling decisions and one thing I have learned is that there will be mistakes unfortunately but it needs to become a much more consistent area.In an ideal world, I would love to have the referees removed from discussion over the next three weeks of football so that we can find out who the best team is without any potential controversies. Austin Watson Predators Jersey . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. Colton Sissons Jersey . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. http://www.authenticpredatorspro.com/Nick-bonino-predators-jersey/ . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Dante Fabbro Predators Jersey . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. Juuse Saros Predators Jersey . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. OAKLAND, Calif. -- Manager Bob Melvin recalls when the Athletics had a potent batting order like the one from Boston that keeps beating up on his club.Once again, Oakland didnt have the pitching or the offense to compete with the powerful Red Sox.Teams that take a lot of pitches and make you throw a lot of pitches, its like a boxer, its just body blows and body blows and then they give you a good one, Melvin said. Thats what they do.Rick Porcello didnt allow a baserunner until Jake Smolinskis one-out double in the sixth on the way to his majors-leading 19th victory, and Boston routed the As yet again with an 11-2 victory Saturday night. The ace right-hander also became the first Red Sox pitcher with 19 wins in his first 22 decisions.David Ortiz hit a two-run double to highlight Bostons seven-run third to chants of Pa-pi! Pa-pi! for the retiring slugger in his last visit to Oakland.The early hitting by Boston made for a short day by right-hander Daniel Mengden (1-6), called up from Triple-A Nashville only to allow seven runs and eight hits in just 2 2/3 innings.I was just falling behind a little too much. You never want to give a team like that good counts and places to do damage, he said.Yoan Moncada had a run-scoring double for his first career hit and RBI -- and got the ball as a souvenir. He earned his first start a day after the star Cuban prospect made his major league debut in a 16-2 win.Its a big step getting the first hit, Moncada said.Hanley Ramirez added a home run in the third, his fourth in seven games.Porcello (19-3) gave up four hits and two runs in seven innings, struck out two and didnt walk a batter. Boston improved to 21-7 in Porcellos starts and 13-2 in his last 15. The Red Sox scored 11 or more runs against the As in their fifth straight, a night after matching their season high with 16 runs.Mookie Betts hit a two-run double in the first following Ortizs first double that moved Dustin PPedroia to third.dddddddddddd. Betts joined Ted Williams as the only Red Sox with at least 30 home runs with 100 or more RBI in a season before turning 24.Ortiz had three more hits and is 5 for 6 with five RBI this series. He moved within one RBI of the AL lead behind Torontos Edwin Encarnacion (108). Ortiz also needs to drive in one more run to tie Dave Winfield for most RBI by a player 40 or older. A 12-time All-Star and Hall of Famer, Winfield drove in 108 runs for Toronto in 1992.CANSECO BOBBLEHEADHowd Jose Canseco like his bobblehead, handed out Saturday?Its pretty good, its pretty accurate. It looks like the pre-Steroid-era bobblehead, though, he said. Its got me kind of skinny. If it would have been the Steroid-era it would have me more beefed up. It looks more like the `86 bobblehead.Of his ceremonial first pitch, Canseco took to Twitter:Went with the knuckle .it danced, he wrote.TRAINERS ROOMAthletics: C Josh Phegley is being shut down for the season because of inflammation in his right knee that landed him in the hospital last weekend. He also dealt with strep throat and manager Bob Melvin said hes unsure whether that could have triggered further trouble with the knee. ... RHP Sonny Gray threw from 105 feet as he tries to work back from a strained right forearm before the end of the season. Until he throws off a mound, its unclear whether he will pitch again in 2016.UP NEXTRed Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-6, 5.35 ERA) has allowed three or fewer runs in seven of his eight outings since the All-Star break and has a 3.22 ERA with 40 strikeouts to 16 walks.Athletics: RHP Kendall Graveman (10-9, 3.96) seeks his first career decision against the Red Sox in his third appearance. After beginning 1-6 over his initial nine starts, Graveman is 9-3 with a 3.36 ERA in his last 17. ' ' '