Abstimmungen » 3. After missing the Chase for two consecutive seasons

It is a crazy year with a crazy finish, and if it happens, this could top it all. Melbourne could play finals, even though it does not deserve to.The Demons are not even ready, although they are growing, but it is the frailty of North Melbourne that has opened the door for them.It was way back at the end of Round 6, at the end of April, that the current top eight first settled as it sits now, and it has not changed since, a remarkable statistic in itself and virtually unprecedented in the AFL.A month ago, observers were saying that it would not change, either, but if results fall a certain way this weekend, Round 23 could end up being a grandstand finish, especially for Melbourne fans.Melbourne needs to win both games, against Carlton this weekend and then at Geelong in the final round, to bridge the two-win gap to eighth-placed North Melbourne. Paul Roos men, of course, needs North Melbourne to lose both matches as well, against Sydney in Hobart this week and Greater Western Sydney in the final round.Percentage would then decide eighth place. At the moment, the gap is 3.7 percent, which equates to about 10 goals, a quite manageable number.That North could win nine consecutive games to start the season yet potentially lose its place in the finals is an indictment on the Roos. Certainly they have had injuries to key players, notably Shaun Higgins and Jarrad Waite, but it suggests that the streak at the start of the year was something of a mirage.Right now, North is 3-8 since that first nine rounds, has lost the last two in a row and could quite possibly limp into the finals on a streak of four straight defeats. Again, this would be close to unprecedented.That Brent Boomer Harvey could escape his whack at Sam Mitchell at the MCG last week with a fine suggests the match review panel might have taken pity on Brad Scotts team. They have been witheringly poor since the first two months of the season, and Harvey should have been suspended, for sure.As for the Dees, they are headed into a bright, new future without Roos, who did a sensational job of rebuilding the team and who will walk off into his own future leaving Simon Goodwin all the glory of a burgeoning list. Roos focused on culture while his list management team did their own work, and he has shown what a great coach he is.He is a holistic coach who fosters strong leadership among the playing group then allows them to take ownership of discipline, leaving him to set the playing style.His mantra is defence-first and this was the building block for Melbourne, as he said all along. This season in adding an attacking edge the Demons have jumped to 10th in scoring (compared to 16th in 2015), and their ball movement is quick and exciting at times. A 10-10 win-loss record is the result, including a groundbreaking win over Hawthorn a couple of weeks ago as the stand-out.Still, Melbourne is only 2-5 against top eight teams, which shows that there is still a gap.As much as it will set the football world alight if the Demons can pull off two wins to reach the finals, it might not even be the best thing for the club. Potentially, a finals appearance and a quick exit could lure the players and coaching staff into thinking that more ground has been made than is actually the case.A near-miss, on the other hand, might just drive Melbourne forward again in 2017. Whichever way it falls, Melbourne is a stock worth buying. Yeezy Boost 650 Deutschland . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Nmd r1 Deutschland . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. http://www.yeezyschuhe.de/ .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Yeezy Schuhe Günstig Amazon . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Ultra Boost Günstig Kaufen . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he feels better as he continues to rehabilitate the vision and balance issues he suffers from but added that he does not belong in a race car as he recovers from a concussion suffered in June.Earnhardt, who has missed the past seven Sprint Cup races including Sundays Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, announced Friday that he would not return to his Hendrick Motorsports car for the rest of this year.I have the passion and the desire to drive, Earnhardt said Sunday at Darlington Raceway. I enjoy it. ... My heart is there to continue, and if my doctor says Im physically able to continue, thats an easier decision for me to make.[Retirement] is not something I think about. Were trying to focus on just getting well and getting normal.The 41-year-old driver is preparing to return to the seat in 2017, and his doctor Sunday said the treatment focuses on Earnhardt -- who he said was pretty sick -- being able to handle everyday life and then a race car.Were doing what were doing right now to make sure we get Dales systems rehabbed to the point where not only does he feel normal but hopefully to the point where we dont see less force causes [them] to come back, said Dr. Micky Collins of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program.Weve advanced things to a point where we know how to rehab these symptoms well. ... Hopefully we can get to a point where we see that he can withstand the normal forces of a race car driver. If he had a significant force, that would cause an injury as it would anyone.Earnhardt has battled balance and vision issues associated with gaze stability -- the ability to focus on an object in the distance while moving his head. He is going through vision, stability and exercise therapy.Collins treated Earnhardt in 2012 when he missed two races because of two concussions in six weeks.We went through this process in 2012, Earnhardt said. It was very scary and difficult. Micky told me that I would one day be well and I would win races again, and he was right. ... Hes telling me this is possible again, and I believe it.Earnhardt vows to race again despite having a history of concussions dating back to 2002. The June 12 wreck at Michigan International Speedway this year didnt appear so violent that it should cause a concussion. His car got jostled about three weeks later at Daytona, and the symptoms started the following week.He said he has seen significant improvement over the past few weeks, and both the driver and doctor said the decision not to race the remainder of the year has rellieved stress, which should accelerate his recovery.ddddddddddddI struggled with my eyes for a while, Earnhardt said. Im starting to see improvements there, which I was thrilled to wake up one day and feel a difference. ... My balance is miles better than when it was when I first went to see Micky.Collins said Earnhardt has worked as hard as any patient he has had.When I first saw Dale, my goal was to see Dale become a human being again, Collins said. And I can tell you with confidence that is occurring in front of our eyes. ... The second goal is Dale becoming a race car driver again.Yes, we will be working on that as well. Im very confident we are moving in the right direction.While he feels comfortable driving a car and doing things in everyday life, Earnhardt said there are still times where he would be in the car and stumble.Earnhardt, who turns 42 in October, has 26 victories -- including two Daytona 500 wins -- in 595 career Sprint Cup starts. He has finished in the top 10 in 42 percent of his races. The son of seven-time Sprint Cup champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, Earnhardt Jr. has never won a Cup title, with a best finish in the season standings of third in 2003. After missing the Chase for two consecutive seasons, he has enjoyed a career resurgence with five consecutive Chase appearances from 2011 to 2015.I definitely dont belong in a race car today by any stretch of the imagination, Earnhardt said. You dont know how long this process is going to take. We want to be healthy and be able to compete at some point.But we also dont want to take any risks to reinjure ourselves or put ourselves in a situation where we essentially erase all the hard work we did to get better.Four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon has competed in five races since Earnhardt had to step out of the car, including a 14th-place finish Sunday night in the Southern 500, and he will drive three more this season. Alex Bowman, who has driven in two races in place of Earnhardt, will drive eight more to the end of the year.Gordon said the team has not let the potential of Earnhardt never returning affect its week-to-week preparation.I dont think were ready to go there with that mindset yet, Gordon said about thoughts of Earnhardt retiring. I think were all positive this is the right thing for him.The doctors feel confident in that. His attitude is that he wants to be back in the car and wants to get back to 100 percent when he is back in there. ' ' '