Finally the top eight sides are set, albeit their final starting positions are still up in the air with a fascinating final round in the AFL still to play.Melbourne supporters will lament the fact their side failed to live up to their end of the bargain, going down to Carlton in a sub-standard performance at the MCG. It snuffed out any hopes the Demons had of sneaking into the finals.Hawthorn were beaten by a resurgent West Coast and slipped to fourth on the ladder, with percentage providing the only separation between the top-four sides. Both sides suffered sickening knee injuries to their key big men, Jonathon Ceglar and Nic Naitanui respectively.?North Melbourne continue to limp into September action after a close encounter with now ladder leaders Sydney in Hobart.St Kildas Paddy McCartin has a had a horrid run with concussion this season but it was a broken collarbone in the win over Richmond that will end the young star forwards season prematurely.HEROESJonathon Patton: The Giants forward has endured a horror run since being taken at pick No. 1 at the 2011 draft but his efforts against Fremantle on Saturday showed he could still play a crucial role in GWS maiden finals campaign. Patton - who has suffered two ACL injuries - booted six majors as the Giants mauled the hapless Dockers on Saturday. This was a breakout game - his coach Leon Cameron said Patton took a big step -- as he finished with eight marks (six inside 50) to go with his bag of half-a-dozen goals. If the Giants are to seriously push for a premiership, they need Patton producing games like that throughout September.Matt Priddis: Its strange to label a Brownlow medallist as criminally underrated but that is the case with Priddis. The gutsy Eagle is producing another staggering season, with his statistics pretty much on par with his Brownlow Medal-winning season in 2014. He was superb again on Friday night against Hawthorn, smashing into packs to win the footy and tackling with remarkable ferocity. He finished with 29 touches (14 contested), eight clearances and nine tackles. Priddis sets the physical standard for West Coast each week and you just know he cant wait to get back on the big stage through the finals series.Eddie Betts: The little Crows champion continues to show the value of small forwards in the AFL. Five goals in his 250th was a superb return and it is now the third time he has kicked that amount in Showdown history. With a career-best season haul of 65 goals and averaging eight score involvements per game, Betts continues to ignite the Crows inside forward 50.VILLAINSThe cruel hand of fate: Injuries are a sportspersons worst enemy. Nic Naitanui and Jonathon Ceglar will both be feeling crushed after tearing their ACLs during Friday nights West Coast vs. Hawthorn clash. They face a gut-wrenching 12-month rehabilitation before they can take the field again. Naitanui especially is so important to his team, and his injury came just as the Eagles looked to be gaining momentum for a serious flag tilt after beating GWS at Spotless Stadium and the Hawks in Perth. His loss will be sorely felt by the Eagles midfield, who can be so proactive at stoppages due to his brilliant tap work. And then there was Easton Wood, who was on crutches after the Bulldogs victory over Essendon. The Bulldogs have endured just a horror run with injury this season.Racism: The Port Adelaide fan who threw a banana at Crows star Eddie Betts has rightly been handed an indefinite ban by the Power. Its truly horrible to think this type of behaviour still exists, but it was great to see Port Adelaide boss David Koch act so swiftly on Sunday. Our game - and indeed society - must continue to stamp out racism of any kind. Furthermore, its good to see Port Adelaide have the intention of educating the woman at fault.Gold Coast: The Suns made Collingwood look like a top-four side as they slumped to a 71-point defeat at Etihad Stadium on Saturday. The Magpies dominated from the outset, the Suns offering limp resistance against a team that will finish at least two wins out of the eight. Former Suns player Campbell Brown described the Suns last fortnight on Triple M as diabolical and its hard to disagree. NFL Jerseys Cheap .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. Wholesale Jerseys Authentic . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. http://www.wholesalenfljerseyscheap.org/ . "It was nerve-wracking, but we pulled through," said Collaros, who threw four touchdown passes to lead the Toronto Argonauts (8-4) to a 33-27 win over the Calgary Stampeders (9-3) in front of 28,781 fans at McMahon Stadium. Jerseys From China . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Monday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. A separate Olympic Digest has been sent. All times EDT:Editors: Retransmits to add Pac-12 football preview.- INDIANAPOLIS -- Bryan Clauson, considered the top dirt-track racer in the country, has died from injuries suffered in an accident at the Belleville (Kansas) Midget Nationals USAC midget race. He was 27.- BEREA, Ohio -- Robert Griffin III has been named the Clevelands starting quarterback by Browns coach Hue Jackson.- Stories from other NFL training camps.- MIAMI -- Ace Jose Fernandez (12-6, 2.87) pitches against Johnny Cueto (13-3, 2.73) when 3,000-hit hero Ichiro Suzuki and the Miami Marlins open a homestand against NL West leader San Francisco. Cueto has lost his last two decisions and is winless in his last four starts overall. Game starts 7:10 p.m.- The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame unveils its Class of 2016. Announcement at 7 p.m.- LOS ANGELES -- Stanford coach David Shaw only needed a few words to epitomize why his Cardinal are the Pac-12 football favorites this fall -- and also why that distinction doesnt mean much. I think we have a chance to be a good team, but were a team in flux, Shaw said after learning his Cardinal had won the preseason media poll.The West Coasts top league is wide open heading into the fall.- Alabama and the Southeastern Conference are back on top of the college football world, butt a league with few established quarterbacks faces some challenges in staying there.dddddddddddd- RIO DE JANEIRO -- It has come to this for the Brazilian mens soccer team: The fans are so disappointed with the team that they heckled football icon Neymar and chanted the name of the women teams star during a lackluster, scoreless tie against Iraq. Brazil is now facing elimination -- a prospect that once seemed unthinkable in the soccer-obsessed Olympic host country.- RIO DE JANEIRO -- Ibtihaj Muhammad has viewed her Olympic platform as a chance to change misconceptions about Muslim Americans. She became the first U.S. athlete to compete wearing a hijab -- and a medal isnt out of the question for her.- RIO DE JANEIRO -- Following a blowout win over China in their opener, the U.S. mens basketball team continues its road to another gold medal. The U.S. plays Venezuela, competing in its first Olympics since 1992 and which lost to the Americans by 35 points last week. Game starts 6 p.m.- RIO DE JANEIRO -- Usain Bolt will soon resume his quest for more gold medals in sprinting after his dominating performances in the last two Summer Olympics. Bolt speaks to reporters about his experience in Brazil as he prepares to run for three more gold medals when track and field starts later this week. Event starts 4 p.m. ' ' '