Pirate Galaxy » Rams and Monarchs could play then have a rematch

If Benji Marshall says goodbye on Saturday, its not because his body has forced him to.The off-contract St George Illawarra star has hit back at claims his time in the NRL is up, saying hes come back from worse things than a chronic hamstring injury.Controversially dropped for the first time in his career last week, Marshall has been handed a farewell in the Dragons final round game against Newcastle.And while he has previously hinted at calling stumps on his decorated career, he still wont be treating the Knights game as his rugby league swansong.I still have a burning desire within to play. Id love to play on and Im still working on that, Marshall said on Wednesday.If that doesnt happen, Ive been fortunate enough to do a few jobs along the way that will put me in good stead in life after football where other blokes dont have the same opportunities.Im blessed in that sense.A runner-up to Johnathan Thurston in the Dally M last year, Marshalls 2016 campaign has been plagued by a chronic hamstring injury that stopped him playing more than four games in a row before July.But he is angered by the idea his body is breaking down.Im 31, Im not 35, he said.There is still blokes running around at 35 so all this talk about me being too old is bullshit to me. Anyone who knows me, knows whats affected me this year has been the hamstring.But I know I can come back from it, Ive come back from way worse.Marshall will depart Wollongong with 53 games in the Red V, who threw the Wests Tigers 2005 premiership-winner a lifeline following his failed stint in rugby union in 2014.He said Saturdays game would be emotionally tough.I spent two-and-a-half years here its been some of the best fun Ive had. Coming back to rugby league, I couldnt have picked a better bunch of dudes, he said. Cheap Blue Air Max . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. Youth Air Max Sale . Bjorn, who had a 36-hole total of 8-under 134, made a testing six-foot putt to save par on the 16th and a birdie on the 17th before bogeying the final hole after a misjudged approach shot. American Kevin Streelman was in second place after shooting a 69. http://www.airmax2018sale.us/ . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. Cheap Air Max Store . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. Nike Air Max 2017 . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. Teams in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament have at least one thing in common: theyre all trying to replace a lot of production after losing their best scorer from last season.The tournament begins Wednesday in Paradise Island, Bahamas, with No. 10 Louisville, No. 20 Baylor and No. 24 Michigan State headlining the eight-team field. And after players such as the Spartans Denzel Valentine and the Cardinals Damion Lee now gone, each team is sorting out how their offenses run and whether the guy they pegged as their new go-to scorer can handle that role now that hes atop the defensive scouting report.Early in the year, the big thing for us is just seeing what chemistry, what rotations, and trying to get a flow, Baylor coach Scott Drew said. Its tough on players and coaches early in the year, because a lot of times in practice people might be good and in the games they might be great, or they might be great in practice and just average in the games.So youve got to give them experience and see what they can do when the lights come on.The Atlantis field includes LSU, Old Dominion, St. Johns, VCU and Wichita State. Each team plays three games in three days, with the championship set for Friday.---Some other things to know about this weeks Battle 4 Atlantis:TOUGHEN UP: Michigan State coach Tom Izzo wants more from his Spartans (2-2) after a bumpy start that includes losing on a last-second shot to Arizona, managing just 48 points in a 21-point loss to current No. 1 Kentucky, then hanging on to beat Florida Gulf Coast by one at home Sunday. The Spartans open against St. Johns (2-1) in the first meeting between the programs since 1979. I want to figure out whether Im going to start a different lineup to get what I want, Izzo said. Maybe different guys have got to come off the bench and then Ive got to do a better job. So dont anyone blame a player. Ive got to do a better job of making them tougher.PLAYERS TO WATCH: St. John redshirt freshman Marcus LoVett and Baylor junior college transfer Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. are putting up some big numbers. The 6-foot LoVett ranks in the top 20 nationally in scoring at 24.3 points wwhile playing alongside fellow freshman Shamorie Ponds (17.dddddddddddd points) in the Red Storms backcourt. Meanwhile, the 7-foot Lual-Acuil ranks among the national leaders in rebounding (10 per game) and blocked shots (5.3) for the Bears (3-0).VIRGINIAN FOES: VCU (3-0) and Old Dominion (2-0) are separated by roughly 90 miles in the state of Virginia, but they could end up traveling more than 800 miles south just to bump into each other in the Bahamas. While theyre on opposite sides of the bracket, the Rams and Monarchs could play then have a rematch roughly two weeks later with an already scheduled meeting Dec. 10 at Old Dominion.KEEPING IT GOING: Wichita State (4-0) might be in the biggest transition of all the Battle 4 Atlantis teams after losing Ron Baker and Fred VanFleet, two mainstays who were part of the 2013 Final Four team and a run of five straight NCAA Tournaments. So far, the Shockers are showing a lot of balance with Zach Brown, Markis McDuffie and Darral Willis Jr. each averaging around 11 points to lead an offense coming off a 116-point showing -- the programs best in a game since 1988 -- against Maryland-Eastern Shore. The Shockers face LSU (3-0) on Wednesday.BIG NAMES: Theres a couple of Naismith Hall of Fame coaches roaming the sideline with Izzo and Louisvilles Rick Pitino, two men with approaching 1,300 career wins and three NCAA championships. And there will be a third Hall of Famer arriving after the tournament in Kentucky coach John Calipari, whose top-ranked Wildcats appear in the separate Atlantis Showcase game against Arizona State on Monday night to wrap up a big week at the Atlantis resort.---AP Basketball Writer Stephen Hawkins in Dallas; AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in Kansas City, Kansas; and AP freelancer Tim Robinson in East Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this report.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '