West Coast coach Adam Simpson says the clubs annual request for more time between games continues to amount to nothing.But he wont let his players use it as an excuse heading into a season-defining clash with Greater Western Sydney.The Eagles will play the Giants at Spotless Stadium in Sydney on Saturday just six days after beating Fremantle in Perth.West Coast will then have six days to prepare for next weeks crunch clash with AFL heavyweights Hawthorn at Domain Stadium.All up, West Coast have eight six-day breaks this year.Three of those are away games.Simpson, who notched 306 games for North Melbourne during a glittering playing career, says his role as West Coast coach has given him more appreciation for the heavy travel burden interstate clubs carry.And he hopes the AFL will come to the party by giving the Eagles less six-day breaks in the future.This is my third year, and the 28 years (chief executive Trevor Nisbett) has been here, hes put it in (a request for less six-day breaks) every year, Simpson said on Thursday.I reckon weve had more six-day breaks than any team in the last 10 years.Its a tough gig doing that with the travel.Thats not a complaint. Thats just a reality. It falls on deaf ears.Were not complaining. We train at night during the weeks in a six-day break and the boys get up for it. We definitely wont use that as an excuse.West Coast (13-6) sit in sixth spot on the ladder.But with games against the Giants, Hawthorn, and Adelaide (away) to round out their season, the Eagles are in danger of slipping out of the top six.That scenario would see West Coast miss out on a crucial home final.The fourth-placed Giants (14-5) are one of the form teams of the competition and will be aiming to boost their top-two hopes with a win over West Coast.Simpson said the ruck battle between Nic Naitanui and GWS big man Shane Mumford would be crucial in deciding Saturdays result.I think both ruckmen arent intimidated about playing against each other, put it that way, Simpson said.Therell be a lot of weight around that contest for sure.Its becoming a real fierce battle every week in the ruck. Anyone who suggests that ruckmen arent important these days just have a look at the top teams and how important they are.The Giants elite running game has blown rival teams off the park, but Simpson said the GWS supremacy at contested ball was their main strength.USWNT Pro Shop . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. USWNT Store .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. https://www.cheapuswnt.com/ . Their 38th instalment is arguably their biggest fight card to date, including three-title fights and a main event which was selected by the fans. The promotion boasts 14-straight years of business and is operated by MFC president Mark Pavelich, who is often overlooked in this country for the foundation hes established for MMA in Canada. Cheap USWNT Jerseys . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. Fake USWNT Jerseys . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries.Anyone who has ever experienced Singapores stifling humidity knows there are only two ways to seek refuge: stay inside air-conditioned buildings or take a dip in the pool.Coming from a Southeast Asian economic powerhouse and benefiting from one of the worlds best education systems, Singaporean kids cant be blamed if they go for the indoor option. Sports, including swimming, have sometimes been regarded as leisurely pursuits, not to be taken as seriously as mathematics and science.But all that could be about to change thanks to Joseph Schooling, a once shy and bespectacled kid who pulled off one of the most extraordinary upsets in Olympic swimming history by beating the seemingly invincible Michael Phelps in the Americans last individual race of his career.Think about that for a moment. Phelps, the GOAT, the man who has re-written every Olympic record, winning 23 gold medals and sinking everyone who has dared to challenge him. Unconquered in his first four races at Rio, and in his last individual event before hanging up his goggles. A man who hates to lose, competing in the 100 metres butterfly, the same race he had won at the three previous Olympics.What were the odds of anyone beating him? Let alone someone from Singapore, a tiny nation in Southeast Asia, that is smaller than some American cities, and had never won an Olympic gold medal, in any sport. Yet, in swimmings equivalent of David and Goliath, thats exactly what happened, but it was no fluke.He may come from a swimming minnow, but Schooling is no Eric the Eel, and he didnt just beat Phelps for the gold, he beat him every step of the way. Ten years younger than Phelps, the 21-year-old beat him in the heats, beat him again in the semis, beat him off the blocks in the final, beat him over the first 50m, beat him over the last 50m, then beat the Olympic record Phelps set in Beijing, with the Singaporean winning the gold in 50.39 seconds.Phelps was so angry with himself after losing the 200m butterfly final in London four years ago that he came out of retirement because it grated him so much and he wanted to atone for his rare defeat. Not this time. Relegated to a three-way tie for second with South Africas Chad le Clos, himself a world and Olympic champion, and veteran Hungarian Laszlo Cseh, he swam under his lane rope and to the centre of the pool to congratulate Schooling.No excuses. No regrets.I swam faster than I did four years to win (in London), Phelps said. But Joes tough. Obviously hes had a great year last year and had a really great last two years so hats off to him.The crowd at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium was shocked and confused, as much by seeing Phelps beaten as the triple dead-heat, the first ever in an Olympic final.Even Schooling was pinching himself to make sure he wasnt dreaming. I dont know what to believe, whether I actually did it or Im still preparing my race, he said.I need to chill by myself, let this moment sink in, realise what Ive done then Ill have a better understanding of what Ive accomplished.The celebbrations in Singapore were less restrained.dddddddddddd country that desperately needed a sporting hero finally had one. One of the countrys most iconic statues is the Merlion, a mythical creature that has a lions head and the body of a fish, depicting Singapores spectacular transformation from a sleepy fishing village to one of the worlds biggest commercial hubs.Singaporean President Tony Tan flew to Rio to watch from the stands. The following morning, Schooling was already on board a jumbo jet flying back to his homeland to attend a hastily arranged victory celebration, the likes of which Singapore has never seen before.This is all just so crazy, Schooling said. But it shows that people from the smallest countries in the world can do extraordinary things.I hope this opens more doors for sports in our country and hopefully Ive set a precedent for a lot more young guys to come because Ive done something that no-one in our country has done before.Its been a tough road, Im not going to lie. For the first guy through the wall, its always bloody and I had to take that blow but Im thankful that I have the ability to accomplish this.Schoolings win came at a perfect time for Singapore, with the government investing and actively promoting the benefits of sport. The country has head-hunted some of the best sports coaches and administrators from around the world but know that producing Olympic champions is a long and frustrating process that starts when kids are young.Schooling was the trailblazer and there was a twist that the man he beat to win Singapores first gold medal was Phelps.Like a lot of his swimmers his generation, Schooling was inspired to greatness by the American and even met him when he was just 13, posing for a photograph that has been widely circulated on social media since the final.Phelps was in Singapore in 2008 attending a training camp before the Beijing Olympics. One of the practice facilities he used was the same pool Schooling trained so the young Singaporean approached him and asked for the photo.I wanted to be like him as a kid, Schooling said. So a lot of this is because of Michael.To achieve his goals, Schoolings parents made the bold decision to send their son to Florida to the famed Bolles School, under the guidance of master swim coach Sergio Lopez. He qualified for the 2012 London Olympics and took up a scholarship at the University of Texas the following year after Singapore agreed to defer his two years of mandatory national service to let him prepare for Rio.In 2014 he won the Asian title and last year he earned a bronze medal at the world championships before bursting into the global spotlight with his unfathomable win on the sports biggest stage, earning the ultimate accolade from his childhood hero.Im so proud of Joe, Phelps said. I wanted to change the sport of swimming. I wanted kids to dare to dream, and thats just what Joe did. ' ' '