The opening race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship on Sunday | Forum

The Western Bulldogs are finding new ways to win in 2016, but forward Luke Dahlhaus predicts a carbon-copy AFL arm-wrestle this weekend against Collingwood. Michal Neuvirth Jersey .The Bulldogs enjoy their first home Friday night match for four years when they open round 21 against the Magpies at Etihad Stadium.If last year was all about high-speed scoring, this campaign has been when the Bulldogs have found the brakes.Last weekends win over North Melbourne was a case in point; the Bulldogs kept the Kangaroos to just 47 points and claimed a 14-point win.Dahlhaus said the Bulldogs took pride from grinding out the tough ones and expected no different against Collingwood under the Friday night lights.If you look at how well theyre tackling and their pressure, its probably going to be pretty dour, he told AAP.It should be one of those games like last week against North; really high tackles and high pressure.Hopefully we can find a way again, play the footy that we have been and get a good win.Thats been the story of the Western Bulldogs in 2016; adapt as needs must.Whether its been injuries or game style, the Bulldogs are the chameleons of the league.A stretch of injuries, many of them major, have forced the Bulldogs to dig deep into their player stocks.They have fielded 37 players in 2016, the most of any AFL finals contender.Dahlhaus confirmed what many Dog-watchers have suspected all season, theres less of an emphasis on speed in Luke Beveridges second campaign at the helm.Teams have got so many scouts and opposition analysts that youve got to find new ways to get through defences and to defend yourself, he said.The interchange changes probably had a little bit of an impact on us and the way we moved the ball too. We probably had to go a bit slower and at times defend a bit better.And our defence has been pretty good. We were rapt to keep North Melbourne to 40-odd last week.Our scoring has been a work in progress all year. Were slowly getting better, getting that fluency.In their last match, Dahlhaus starred with 37 possessions and a goal.Matthew Suckling is expected to return against the Pies, who will put captain Scott Pendlebury through a late fitness test to play.If successful, the Bulldogs would record a fourth-straight win over Collingwood for the first time in 70 years.Dahlhaus said the club would love to do that on the brightest stage in footy.We dont get many opportunities on a Friday night, he said.But it shows how well were going and how weve built a lot of respect over the last year and a half.Weve built up that respect and were getting rewarded for it. Wayne Simmonds Jersey . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. Ron Hextall 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. http://www.cheapflyersjerseys.com/?tag=adidas-dale-weise-jersey .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. RICHMOND, Va. -- It was yet another Denny Hamlin runaway for Joe Gibbs Racing on Saturday night in what turned out to be an anticlimactic end to NASCARs regular season.The fireworks came off the track at Richmond International Raceway, where Tony Stewart intentionally wrecked Ryan Newman before Newman angrily chided his former boss for the accident that officially ended Newmans chances to make the playoffs.The verbal beat down from Newman came with 37 laps left, before Hamlin finished off his third career Sprint Cup win at his home track while giving JGR its third consecutive victory at the track and ninth in the last 15 races.Newman called Stewart bipolar, said the retiring race car driver had anger issues, and all but outright referenced the 2014 incident in which Stewart fatally struck a sprint car driver.I guess he thought he was in a sprint car again and didnt know how to control his anger, Newman said after the two made contact three times before finally wrecking. Dylan Lupton couldnt avoid the accident and his car ended up wedged between the wall and on top of Newmans car when the crashing finally ceased.Stewart admitted to wrecking Newman.Hes right, that was the third time he had driven into me. How many times is he supposed to hit you before you say, Ive had enough of it? Stewart said.The wreckage caused a stoppage of just over 20 minutes and sent Newmans temperature soaring. Newmans team was penalized 15 points this week by NASCAR for failing post-race inspection at Darlington, and the punishment made his task of trying to race his way into the Chase extremely difficult.But few expected him to be so harsh toward Stewart, who employed Newman for five years until Newman was let go from Stewart-Haas Racing at the end of the 2013 season.Just disappointing that you have somebody old like that that should be retired the way he drives. Its just ridiculous, Newman said. I dont think there was any reason other than him just being bipolar and having anger issues. Google Tony Stewart, youll see all kinds of things hes done. Look it up on YouTube, everything else. Quite the guy.Stewart, who last week intentionally wrecked Brian Scott, is retiring at the end of the season and already had his spot in the Chase secure headed into Richmond. Hed had time to cool down before addressing the incident and Newmans comments, joking Newman will get his wissh in 10 weeks for Stewart to retire. Shayne Gostisbehere Jersey. .Hes got to do his part, too, to race for a championship, Stewart said. This night didnt dictate it for him.He didnt get it, and the remaining playoff positions in the 16-driver field went to rookie Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon and Jamie McMurray. Chris Buescher also made the Chase by virtue of his win at a rain-shortened race and by maintaining a spot in the top 30 in points.The rest of the Chase field is made up of the other 12 race winners this season.Once again, Gibbs has all four of its cars in the Chase, and a bonus, too, with sister team Furniture Row Racing with driver Martin Truex Jr.?And just like last year, when Kyle Busch won his first Cup title and ended a 10-year title drought for Gibbs, the team again is the favorite.The JGR cars and Truex dominated at Richmond and Hamlin seemed to have the win locked up until an accident -- the race record 16th yellow flag -- forced Hamlin to win it in overtime. Kasey Kahne, needing a win to make the Chase, pitted for tires in a last-ditch effort for a miracle, but he didnt have anything for Hamlin in the end.JGR drivers and Truex led 385 of the 407 laps.JIMMIES LONG NIGHT: Six-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson didnt appear to be Chase ready in the final tuneup. He had a tire go down, hit the wall, and his crew had an uncontrolled tire on pit road during Johnsons 11th-place finish. Although he has two wins this year, hes at career lows in nearly every category, including laps led.BUSTED BLANEY: It was a short night for Ryan Blaney, who guessed stubbornness was to blame for an accident just 11 laps into the race. Blaney made contact with Trevor Bayne that caused a flat tire and sent Blaney into the wall. He was baffled because he thought he was clear of Bayne, but figured Bayne thought otherwise and neither driver would yield.I should know better than that, Blaney said. We didnt even give ourselves a shot at it, that is something I will have regret about.UP NEXT: The opening race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship on Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. The field starts with 16 drivers, which will be whittled down over nine rounds to create a final four to race for the title Nov. 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. 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