Another classic NRL derby has been predicted by North Queensland but Cowboys co-captain Matt Scott admits he wont be using Brisbane as a yardstick for their title defence.Test prop Scott found it hard to put his finger on why the Queensland clash produced so many thrillers ahead of Friday nights NRL sudden-death semi-final in Townsville.History shows the past three Queensland derbies have been decided by one point including last years stunning 17-16 golden-point premiership triumph by the Cowboys.The only other time that had occurred in premiership history was way back in 1927-28 between Glebe and North Sydney.And Scott did not rule out another cliffhanger on Friday night.I guess we bring the best out of each other, Scott said of the NRL grand final re-match.The Cowboys battering ram was more certain of who provided a timely gauge for their title defence - and it wasnt Brisbane.I think Melbourne are the yardstick. They have lifted to another level, Scott said.They are playing a better brand of footy.Cooper Cronk and Cam Smiths kicking game is probably the best in the business.They are probably the best team in the competition.Scott said lessons learned from last weeks opening 16-10 finals loss in Melbourne had steeled them to become the first team to defend a title in the NRL era.Melbourne have probably taught us that lesson a few times and we havent learned from it, he said of last weeks AAMI Park loss.They are a good team at controlling field position, possession and playing under pressure.We played well for long periods but then made crucial errors that took the pressure off them.It was a performance that would have won 80 to 90 per cent of our regular-season games.But it was never going to win against Melbourne or from here on in.We have to be better at building pressure and maintaining possession.Scott agreed with Brisbanes claim that the Cowboys had everything to play for on Friday night - something he reckoned the team were now getting used to.The pressure has been on us all year, he said.Teams have lifted against us.Even something simple like completion rates - teams are five to 10 per cent better than their season average against us.Thats something you have to deal with as defending premiers.We know we have to lift again on Friday night - its do or die. cheap nfl jerseys china . Luis Suarezs double powered Liverpool to a 4-0 victory over Fulham, and Southampton easily overcame Hull 4-1 to continue the south coast clubs impressive start to the season. Liverpool and Southampton sent Chelsea down to fourth place as the west London club was held to 2-2 at home. cheap china jerseys . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. http://www.cheapnflchinajerseyswholesale.com/ . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. cheap soccer jerseys china . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. cheap jerseys china . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. (STATS) -- Virginia Tech had one of college footballs most stabilizing forces on the sidelines for nearly three decades, with Frank Beamer transforming a program that had accomplished nothing into a consistent contender and periodic powerhouse.Its easy to imagine folks in Blacksburg feeling a little out of sorts Saturday as they watch someone other than Beamer calling the shots, but Justin Fuente wont be the only newcomer theyll see.Liberty has never faced Virginia Tech despite the schools relative proximity along the Blue Ridge Mountains, but the Flames hour-and-a-half bus ride from Lynchburg isnt any sort of sightseeing tour. Liberty opened two of its first four seasons under Turner Gill on the road against ACC opponents and led in the second half both times before falling.Can this trip be different?Were gonna have to play the best football game weve ever played to have a chance to be competitive, Gill said. I dont know whether thats gonna be good enough or not, but well give it our best shot.OK, so maybe thats not exactly a ringing endorsement for the Flames shot at playing spoiler in Fuentes debut -- neither is the 30 1/2-point spread Las Vegas has installed -- but there are a few reasons Liberty can hang around with a Hokies team thats hardly guaranteed to make a 24th straight bowl appearance.The biggest is that Virginia Tech isnt quite sure what to expect from a Flames offense that will have a very different look. Gone is four-year starter Josh Woodrum, a pocket passer who led the Flames to three Big South titles before last seasons 6-5 struggle. In his place is little-used junior Stephon Masha, who will be operating a no-huddle spread attack.Hes more athletic, can run the ball, hes more dynamic with the ball in his hands whereas the quarterback they had last year, throwing the ball was his strength, said Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster, entering his 30th season in Blacksburg. This kid can do a little bit of both, and thats where the challenge is going to be, how theyre going to set their offense up so they can run the quarterback.Mashas most prominent moment in his first two seasons happened to lead Liberty to one of the biggest wins in school history. With Woodrum sidelined in a late November game against No. 1 Coastal Carolina, Masha came in and went 20 for 33 for 285 yards, engineering a 15-14 upset -- and that was after he threw four touchdown passes and ran for 99 yards a week earlier in a two-point loss to Charleston Southern.Its not really a big transition, being here for three years, I know what I have to do jumping into that starting role, Masha said. I always prepare as if Im the starting quarterback, now I know I have to step up vocally and be a leader for the team on and off the field. All these guys know they can count on me.How much of a threat Masha will be in the running game remains to be seen, but Liberty could certainly use a dual threat. The Flames averaged just 3.6 yards per carry last season -- 88th in the FCS -- and Gill promoted Joe Dailey from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator to help fix that. The concern with letting Masha show off his wheels outside the pocket is simple -- if he goes down, the backup is true freshman Stephen Calvert.Im not a coach worried about if hes going to get hurt, if hes going to get banged up, or that kind of thing, Gill said. We are going to call the best play to be successful. If hes going to run it 20 or 30 times, so be it.Liberty is hoping to run 80 plays per game after averaging 67.9 during Gills first four seasons in Lynchburg, and it can get a pretty good lesson in tempo by staring across the sidelines Saturday. Memphis ran 80.2 plays per contest under Fuente last season while averaging 40.2 points behind the arm of current Broncos rookie Paxton Lynch.ddddddddddddThe Hokies will be running their own no-huddle attack with Jerod Evans in the role of Lynch. A transfer from Trinity Valley Junior College, Evans threw just three interception in 289 attempts last season, and ball security has typically been a key topic for Fuente. Lynch only threw four INTs in 443 attempts last season.Evans has a 1,000-yard rusher in Travon McMillian, a reliable giant of a tight end in the 6-foot-7 Bucky Hodges and a stud wideout in junior Isaiah Ford, who caught 11 TDs last season -- three fewer than Libertys wideouts totaled. Gone is star Flames defensive end Chima Uzowihe, but Liberty has eight starters back on defense. Among those are nose tackle JaRon Greene and defensive end Erwin Dessources, who will need to get some penetration up front to make Evans think even faster than hed like.Quarterbacks have always done well wherever (Fuente) has been, so I kno