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Tigers centre Tim Simona is hoping his solid 2016 form earns him a call from Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney for the Four Nations in October.The 24-year-old Simona has scored seven tries and made eight line breaks in his 20 appearances this season, helping Wests fight against the odds for a finals spot.He played the full 80 minutes on Sunday and made 86 metres as the Tigers overran a pliant Warriors on home soil to win 36-24.The win kept the Tigers in the hunt for a top eight spot while condemning the Warriors, who collapsed in the final 10 minutes of the match, to a fifth consecutive year without finals football.Simona said he was keen to earn himself a trip to England with the Kiwis, who will be looking to secure a third Four Nations crown.The Auckland-born centre was called up to the Kiwis training squad last year but is yet to make his international debut.Ive always wanted to play for the Kiwis as a kid, Simona said.Im just trying to play good footy for the Tigers and consistent footy, and hopefully the reward will come.Simona, who moved to Australia aged six, has also played for the Samoan national side. Ryan Tannehill Titans Jersey . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Curley Culp Womens Jersey .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. http://www.titansstoreonline.com/Black-24-Derrick-Henry-Womens-Jersey/ . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Warren Moon Titans Jersey . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. Corey Davis Youth Jersey . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. Australia have been whitewashed by Sri Lanka and in the process surrendered their No. 1 Test ranking. That may be just the beginning of their nightmare, with a challenging 2017 tour of India hanging over the players heads like a hangmans noose.It has been suggested Australia are doing everything possible to address an ongoing weakness in spin-friendly conditions. Pitches are specifically prepared at the National Academy to replicate spinning conditions, and more youth tours are being undertaken to Asian countries. Both good ideas but they dont begin to address the underlying problem.Learning to play spin bowling is not something you do in your twenties. Correct and decisive footwork has to be learned from an early age so its ingrained by the late teens and you have the confidence to utilise these skills under any conditions.When I was ten, I was given some important advice by my old coach Lynn Fuller. He told me: Ian, it doesnt matter how good I am as a coach. I cant help you when youre out in the middle. The quicker you learn this game for yourself, the better off youll be.More specifically on playing spin bowling, he advised: Better to be stumped by three yards than three inches. Dont think about the wicketkeeper when you leave your crease, otherwise youre thinking about missing the ball.I saw Australian players in Sri Lanka stumped by what looked like millimetres. An adventurous advance drastically changes the length of a delivery in favour of the batsman; a tentative, minimal move forward only improves the bowlers chance of success. A good player of spin alters the bowlers length to his desire, and by doing so he can manipulate the field placings.By achieving these objectives and putting the loose ball away, a good spinner can be frustrated. A slogged six or a reverse sweep doesnt unnerve a good spinner; the maximum hit means hes still bowling to the same batsman. What drives a spinner crazy is batsmen constantly rotating the strike, using quick, decisive footwork to manoeuvre the ball into gaps and take singles. Once the spinneer is tearing his hair out, then the loose deliveries come, and thats when a batsman has to pick off the boundaries.ddddddddddddThe young Sri Lankan batsman Kaushal Silva did this to perfection in the second innings in Colombo. To achieve this in a long innings under difficult conditions is exacting; by the end of a marathon innings a batsman should be knackered both physically and mentally. One of the great challenges of playing good spinners in difficult conditions is the batsman pitting his brain against that of the bowler.This is not easy to achieve but its impossible if you havent learned good footwork at a young age. If you have the confidence that is only provided by a solid foundation, you wont be panicked into playing low-percentage shots. And with a clear mind provided by that confidence, theres a realisation there are actually some advantages for the batsman when the ball is spinning sharply. The bowler has to pitch further outside the stumps to hit them, and with the ball coming at a sharper angle, it affords the batsman an opportunity to work it into a gap.A coach hurriedly preparing a young player for a lucrative T20 contract is incompatible with the education required for a successful Test career. However, a young batsman who is given a complete grounding can capably handle any form of cricket.Batsmen must have a plan, especially when facing good spinners, but it must be personally devised, not one prepared by a coach. Some of the Australian plans in Sri Lanka were based purely on survival. If a plan doesnt revolve around scoring runs in a reasonably secure manner, then it might as well be a map of the London tube system.Learning to play good spinners in conditions that suit them is not a 40-minute lesson, its a complete education, university included. If Australia dont already have batsmen skilled in the art, then chances are the Test tour of India will only add to their Asian nightmare. ' ' '