the Little League World Series.South Korea, a team from Seoul, had the

After 15 rounds, there they are again at the top of the AFL ladder, just as they have been for much of the past decade, looking down on the rest of the competition.Hawthorn and Sydney sit first and second respectively, and on Thursday evening play off in one of the most eagerly anticipated home-and-away matches of the year.Longmire extends Swans dealWhile most neutral observers will enjoy watching two potential grand finalists going toe-to-toe, there is another appeal - the knowledge that, come 10.45pm on Thursday, one of those two powerhouses will have suffered a defeat.Thats what its come to: the dominance of the same two or three clubs (Geelong is up there, too) each season is affecting the codes popularity. People are getting bored by the utter predictability of the competition which is beginning to have echoes of the Scottish football league, when Celtic and Rangers shared the championship between them virtually every year.For all the AFL Commissions attempts at levelling the playing field, through the draft, salary cap and equalisation payments, Hawthorn and Sydney continue to defy the social engineering. Like two cockroaches, they just march through the AFLs stream of Mortein and saddle up for another season of success.Hawthorn officials were understandably jubilant after winning the grand final last season, thumping a pathetic West Coast to claim their third premiership in a row.Yet when the leagues two heavyweights, chief executive Gillon McLachlan and chairman Mike Fitzpatrick, walked into the rooms afterwards, their faces hardly radiated happiness and the joy of life.The pair was privately furious that the Hawks had again scuppered their best-laid plans at producing a vibrant, exciting, even, fair-for-all competition. Hawthorn officials were nonplussed by the lack of magnanimity.This is one area where the NRL has had it all over the AFL in recent seasons: the variety of premiers.In the past nine seasons, three clubs have dominated the AFL competition - Geelong, Hawthorn and Sydney - with Collingwood breaking the nexus in 2010. Yet the NRL has produced six different premiers in the past six seasons alone - and four different clubs again that have finished runner-up.There is not the same entrenched superiority among the rugby league clubs. Even fans of the smaller, less established teams know at the start of each season that, if the coach and administration are half-decent, theyve got a fighting chance of featuring in the grand final. That North Queensland, based in tiny Townsville, can knock off the mighty Broncos of Brisbane in the big one - and what a contest last year that proved to be.Of course there is universal respect - and sneaky admiration - for the way the footy operations are run at Hawthorn and Sydney. With peerless administrations that boast clever recruiters and brilliant coaches - and foster rock-solid cultures - the two clubs are the envy of many.But if they play off in the grand final again this year, the collective groan from most non-aligned footy supporters in Melbourne will be heard all the way up the Hume Highway, and across the Nullarbor.This remains the AFLs great challenge. Yet when theyve needed to show a bit of backbone and defend their equalisation policies, and stand up to the rampant self-interest of powerful clubs such as Collingwood and the Hawks, they have tended to cave in like jellyfish.Because of the bleating of the Pies and Hawks, among others, we are now lumbered with a hopelessly compromised system where those two uber-rich clubs are paying not much more each year in equalisation monies than middle-tier clubs such as Richmond and Geelong. And that means the smaller clubs, who have been routinely shafted on the matter of free-to-air TV exposure, Friday night timeslots, lack of blockbuster fixtures and woeful stadium deals, are again short-changed.The Western Bulldogs, or Footscray as they once were, have not tasted final-Saturday success since 1954 - their one and only premiership. Only St Kilda fans with long memories will recall their sole triumph, in 1966, while Melbourne - in spite of a lengthy period dominating the competition in the 1950s and early 60s - have not lifted the premiership cup since 1964.Thats an excruciating wait for three disenfranchised generations of fans at those three clubs.Yet here we are again with those brown-and-gold Hawks, and Sydneys red-and-white Swans, perched atop the ladder and once again leading the charge towards September. Larry Allen Jersey . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. Joe Montana Jersey . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. http://www.custompatriotsjersey.com/custom-jimmy-johnson-jersey-large-981f.html . -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside. Curtis Martin Jersey . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Russ Francis Jersey .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Junho Jeong allowed just three hits and struck out 10 in four innings and South Korea beat Curacao 3-0 on Friday night to improve to 12-0 all-time in the Little League World Series.South Korea, a team from Seoul, had the bases loaded with no outs in the first inning when Curacao starter Jurrangelo Cijntje switched from throwing left handed to using his right. He struck out the next two before hitting a batter to put South Korea in front 2-0.The bases wwere loaded for South Korea again in the second but Curacao, from Willemstad, escaped with a strikeout and a catch in foul territory.ddddddddddddCijntje settled down and threw 90 pitches in 4 1/3 innings, while striking out six.In the sixth, Jungtaek Ru sliced a RBI single to left field.South Korea has won the LLWS championship in 1984, 1985 and 2014. ' ' '