England forwards Josh Hodgson and Elliot Whitehead have credited Canberra coach Ricky Stuart with elevating their careers to new heights since joining the Raiders.The pair will line up against Australia on Sunday (Monday 0100, AEDT) in a game the home side have to win to have any chance of booking a place in the final at Anfield on November 20.Hodgson enjoyed a stellar second season in the nations capital last year, helping the Raiders to the finals and earning the praise of Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga who declared he and Cameron Smith were the two best hookers in the game.Ricky has been massive for me, said Hodgson.One thing he is very big on is family and making sure that youre good outside of rugby league.Hes a funny bloke and he gets a bad rap in the press for being a cranky bloke but he only gets cranky if you do anything wrong for him - so hes alright with me!Hes been really good for me and brought me on as a senior player in the team and given me a lot of responsibility and thats added to my game massively.Ive got a lot of time for Ricky and will sing his praises whenever I can.Like Hodgson, Whitehead has blossomed since joining Canberra from Super League side Catalans, who he signed for after being shown the door by hometown club Bradford in 2013.He played a significant role in the Raiders best season in over 20 years, appearing in every single minute, bar two, across 27 matches and believes that experience in the NRL will be crucial on Sunday.Me and Josh were talking about that the other day, Whitehead said.We need to complete our sets otherwise you will get no field position and that is something we know from playing in the NRL.Ricky has been great for me, hes done everything he can for me and my girlfriend to help us settle and is only ever a phone call away if we need anything.He wants to make it like a family down there and theres a great set of lads and they are buying into what he is doing.Whitehead also agrees with Meningas comments about Hodgson and even joked the hooker will have his own bronze statue outside GIO Stadium alongside the Kangaroos coach.Hes been brilliant week in, week out, he said.Hes shown in the best competition in the world what he can do.Hes the most professional player Ive played with. Hes the first one out for training and always the last one back in after doing extras.Theyll probably have a statue of him up there when hes done. Air Max 270 Ireland . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. Air Max 270 Ireland Outlet . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. http://www.airmax270cheapireland.com/ .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. Cheap Air Max 270 Ireland Authentic . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Air Max 270 Ireland Store . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins have cut longtime third baseman Trevor Plouffe, the first significant move by new front office leaders Derek Falvey and Thad Levine.Plouffe cleared waivers and has elected to become a free agent.The 30-year-old was a first-round draft pick of the Twins back in 2004. After struggling to earn a spot as a shortstop, he turned himself into a reliable third baseman with solid power.Plouffe hit .247 with 96 home runs and 357 RBI in seven seasons with the Twins. The move appears to open a spot at third base for young slugger Miguel Sanoo, who bounced around between designated hitter, third base and the outfield last year.ddddddddddddhird base has always been Sanos preferred position.Plouffe was limited to 84 games last season because of injuries. He batted .260 with 12 homers and 47 RBI.The Twins also outrighted catcher Juan Centeno off the 40-man roster Friday.The team says outfielder Adam Brett Walker has been claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers. ' ' '