Meister der Farbe » trying to avoid back-to-back losses for the f

West Coast star Nic Naitanui is tracking ahead of schedule in his recovery from surgery, while fellow ruckman Scott Lycett has been forgiven for his late-night drinking session.Naitanui underwent surgery on the plantaris tendon in both feet earlier this month, with the initial time frame on his recovery put at between six to eight weeks.Eagles coach Adam Simpson said Naitanui was originally worried about going in for surgery during the season.But Naitanuis recovery is going faster than expected, fuelling hopes of an earlier return.Its been a success, Simpson said.How he recovers in the next week or two will determine how quickly how he gets back.But Id say hes on schedule, if not ahead, which were really pleased about.Hes got a big smile on his face. Hes pain free. So now its about how he builds himself back up.Lycett will return from a club-imposed suspension in Thursday nights clash with Essendon.The 23-year-old was banished to the WAFL after embarking on a drinking session following the round-12 loss to Adelaide.Lycett responded with a best-afield effort for East Perth, and Simpson said the South Australian had now paid his penance and deserved a recall.He understands how he disappointed the club and himself and the players, Simpson said.Hes got some work to do to get their trust back, but hes made the right steps.Thursday nights match isnt expected to reach any great heights, with much of the focus centring on the clubs 10-year premiership reunion.West Coasts 2006 premiership team will be presented to the crowd before the game, and then form a guard of honour for the current Eagles squad.The off-field drama involving players from the 2006 era have dominated headlines for the past decade.Ben Cousins battle with drugs hit a new low this week when he was taken to hospital by police after he was found directing traffic on a busy Perth highway.Fellow 2006 star Daniel Kerr was given a 12-month suspended jail term for threatening to set fire to two people in Glendalough in November 2014.And Daniel Chick rocked the Eagles on the eve of last years grand final when he told of widespread use of cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamine during his time at the club.But Simpson hopes those dramas wont detract from Thursdays celebrations.Its about celebrating the victory and success, Simpson said.The stuff off field, the club has learnt so much from that period, and the AFL in general has as well.We need to embrace the success weve had. Weve learnt from the mistakes as well.A win over struggling Essendon would put West Coast within a win of fourth spot.But the Eagles are yet to beat a top-eight side this season.West Coast made four changes all up to their side, with recruit Jack Redden the biggest casualty.Redden had played all 13 games for the Eagles since crossing from Brisbane.But his inconsistent form has cost him dearly, with the 25-year-old forced out of the side alongside Josh Hill (illness), Fraser McInnes (omitted) and Jonathan Giles (omitted).Defender Mitch Brown was recalled for his first AFL game of the year, while Lycett, Patrick McGinnity, and Jackson Nelson were the other inclusions.Key defender Eric Mackenzie, who missed all of last year with a knee injury but was dropped earlier this month for poor form, was overlooked for selection again.Essendon made just one change, replacing Patrick Ambrose (back) with Matt Dea.Air Jordan 1 Discount .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Air Jordan 1 Retro .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. https://www.cheapairjordan1outlet.com/ .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. Air Jordan 1 From China . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. Air Jordan 1 Outlet . On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his eighth defence of the welterweight title. Using his superior athleticism, St-Pierre cruised to a five round, unanimous decision victory setting up a much-anticipated title defence against number one contender Johny Hendricks.SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Even though Virginia Tech in the midst of a conference championship race, Notre Dame with its losing record has more at stake when they face the Hokies for the first time.The Fighting Irish (4-6) need to win their final two games to become bowl eligible and avoid becoming just the 14th team in 128 years of Notre Dame football to post a losing record. For Virginia Tech (7-3), the game has no bearing on its bid to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division.Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer said avoiding the stigma of a losing season is a motivating factor in the final two games against the Hokies and USC.Six and six is a big feat to get to rather than being 5-7. We want to be a team who continues on a winning tradition at Notre Dame, he said.Coach Brian Kelly believes Notre Dames 44-6 victory over Army last week was its most complete game this season. He wants to see the Irish build on that.I want to make sure that how we play is going to be reflective of where we finish and how we build that for next year, he said.The Hokies are coming off a disappointing 30-20 loss to Georgia Tech, so now must beat rival Virginia to clinch the division title. Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said the focus this week is on continuing to improve.This is an ongoing process and its not always a straight ascension. This is a great opportunity and comes at a good time for us to go on the road and play a very talented team in what Im sure will be a hostile environment, he said.Other things to know about the Virginia Tech-Notre Dame game:NOT AN OPTIONThe defenses for both teams are happy to be returning to playing against more traditional offenses after facing triple option opponents. The Hokies played Georgia Tech, while the Irish faced Navy and Army in cconsecutive weeks.dddddddddddd Its like a monkey off your back, Notre Dame linebacker Nyles Morgan said. Its back to basics.BALL SECURITYIt has been an issue in all of the Hokies losses. Jerod Evans threw two interceptions in last weeks loss to Georgia Tech, doubling his total for the season, and also fumbled. He still ranks fifth among all Power Five conference quarterbacks in efficiency, and the Hokies are tough to beat when they take care of the ball. Notre Dames loss to Navy two weeks ago marked just the second time under Kelly that the Irish lost when not committing a turnover.NO STREAKSIf Notre Dame fails to win Saturday it would mark the first season without consecutive victories since 1960. The Hokies are trying to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since losing to Miami and to Duke in four overtimes in October 2015.DEFENSIVE SETBACKVirginia Tech allowed the Yellow Jackets to rush for 309 yards last week, but they have been stronger against the run in other games, allowing 144 yards on average. Thats 40th nationally. They rank 14th against the pass, allowing 185 passing yards per game.POOR RATINGSThe Army-Notre Dame game last week was the lowest-rated game in 26 seasons of NBC broadcasting Fighting Irish football games. The game averaged 1.52 million viewers. The previous low was against Air Force on Oct. 8, 2011, in a broadcast that averaged 1.59 million viewers. Notre Dame is averaging 2.89 million viewers this season, down 9 percent from last year.---AP Sports Writer Hank Kurz in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. ' ' '