NEWS » semifinals.But perhaps most important, Djokovic is under

The Wests Tigers are on the cusp of missing the NRL finals for the fifth time in as many years after turning in one of their worst defensive showings of the year on Friday night.With their season on the line, the Tigers conceded seven tries in a 40-10 mauling at the hands of Penrith to leave them one point behind eighth-placed Gold Coast, who play Newcastle on Saturday.It means the Tigers are now relying on the Titans to falter over the final fortnight to make the semis.Weve got a really shattered group of players in the rooms. Just some inconsolable, through the fact that it was such a disappointing performance with the situation we were in, coach Jason Taylor said.Taylor accused his team of taking shortcuts during the match, and conceded some bad defensive habits had returned in a concerning effort, particularly in the first half.After scoring early, the Tigers conceded five tries before the halftime break.The only thing I can put that down to was just a lack of energy that was required to go with Penrith in the first half, he said.Because the commitment that the teams been playing with, the attitude this week at training, the warm-up, the talk, weve talked about all this stuff.Captain Aaron Woods admitted some of the tries the team conceded was soft.We got off to a good start, but played well for five minutes, he said.They just ran harder. Just simple one-on-ones, we gave some crucial penalties away as well which gave them field position. We just took the easy options sometimes, didnt work hard enough for each other and the energy wasnt there tonight.The Tigers finish the year against the Warriors in Auckland, and then Canberra at Leichhardt Oval. Wholesale Buccaneers Jerseys . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. http://www.cheapbuccaneersjerseysauthentic.com/ . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Buccaneers Jerseys Authentic China . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys China .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Novak Djokovic has seemed like a man often having an argument with himself since he was unexpectedly knocked out in the third round of Wimbledon in July. Once an uncomplicated, all-business competitor, a less motivated, more philosophical Djokovic has emerged in recent months.Signs of this tension in Djokovic were on display Tuesday evening at the ATP World Tour Finals in Londons O2 arena in what was the closest thing he has ever had to a must-win round-robin match. The familiar, fierce competitor ultimately prevailed as Djokovic punched through to the semifinals with a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) win against Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic, against whom he is now 9-0.But it wasnt without signs of his ongoing interior struggle.If I had to pick one thing [to explain why I won], I would say it was my just hanging in there mentally, waiting for my opportunity to come, Djokovic said in his on-court interview after the match. Milos was playing very well. It was a very close match, just a few points separated us.True, but ...How often did the dominant Djokovic of recent memory allow an opponent who has never beaten him reach set point after Djokovic had forged ahead by a break?There were dangerous lapses against Raonic, who is capable of taking an opponents racket out of his hand with the sheer efficiency of his monstrous serve. Just as significant, Raonic led by a mini-break in each of the tiebreakers. His wounds from that point on were largely self-inflicted. Put them down to an understandable lack of confidence in key moments.Djokovic has probably dallied in like fashion before, but rarely at this event and in this venue, where he has routinely been at his zenith. He has won 20 of his past 21 matches at the O2 and captured the title four years in a row.All that raises a question: Why would anyone mindful of Djokovics 23-0 record against the other three men in his group call tthis round-robin engagement a must-win match?For one, Djokovic was recently stripped of his No.dddddddddddd1 ranking by Andy Murray. If Djokovic hopes to get it back and finish the year ranked No. 1, he will need to win one more match than Murray. Murray won his opener and plays Kei Nishikori on Wednesday (9 a.m. ET on ESPN3).?Heres another reason: Despite that 0-9 record against Djokovic, Raonic might be the best player who has yet to win a major. Hes hungry, dedicated and on the cusp of a breakthrough prefigured when he eliminated Roger Federer in the Wimbledon semifinals.But perhaps most important, Djokovic is under pressure to show hes not at war with himself. His identity as a hard-edged tennis champion is in conflict with self-absorbed concerns about his evolution as a person and the peace-and-love philosophy espoused by his Svengali-like adviser, Pepe Imaz.Things have gotten complicated for Djokovic in recent months. His nerves have showed signs of fraying. He has had a year that qualifies as spectacular, with two Grand Slam titles and a career Grand Slam in the books, yet his struggles after Wimbledon have been conspicuous.If he wins this event for a fifth consecutive time and retakes the top ranking, the losses in his past four outings will pale in significance. The crushing defeats inflicted by Juan Martin del Potro in the Olympic Games and Stan Wawrinka in the US Open final will be put down to his minor injuries.It was a very close match, Djokovic told reporters after beating Raonic. It really could have gone either way.It was a close match against Raonic, one that could have gone either way. But the important thing for Djokovic is that hes safely in the semifinals and on pace with Murray -- and nobody can argue with that. ' ' '