Talk » partner fellow greenhorn Connor Watson

YAS MARINA, Abu Dhabi -- After the Mercedes drivers locked out the front row of the grid on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, Nico Rosberg remains on course for his first title on Sunday. The W07 Hybrid has shown strong pace over long practice runs, so a clean race should be enough for him to secure the top three finish he needs to become 2016 champion at the chequered flag. The main stumbling blocks along the way will be the start, a collision in wheel-to-wheel combat and the all-important tyre strategy.In 2010 Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber saw their title hopes disappear into the desert night when they pitted at the wrong time and were shuffled behind Nico Rosberg and Vitaly Petrov, who had made an early stop under a safety car period. In the last race before the introduction of DRS and quick-degrading Pirelli tyres, Alonso and Webber got stuck behind the slower cars on better strategies and were unable to overtake.Rosberg is unlikely to find himself in the same position on Sunday night given the pure pace of the Mercedes and the availability of DRS on the back straights, but Red Bulls Daniel Ricciardo could provide a strategy headache after showing strong race pace during practice. Drivers need a speed advantage of roughly 1.1s over the car in front to attempt a passing move at the Yas Marina Circuit, so if Red Bull can gain track position, Rosberg could find himself needing to dig very deep to make a move stick.So what are the chances of that happening? Red Bull has opted to start on the super-soft tyres, which opens up the possibility of a competitive one-stop strategy. Mercedes are expected to two-stop (the fastest strategy on a clear road) but could also force a one-stop from its ultra-soft starting tyre. If Red Bull have a similar race pace to the Mercedes, a one-stop could give Ricciardo -- starting third -- track position ahead of one or both Mercedes, but he will have to defend hard in the closing laps on older tyres.It is an offset strategy, but it is not the fastest strategy, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said of Red Bulls decision to start on super-softs. Our algorithms show the ultra-soft is the better tyre because you cant take the super soft much further, only a couple of laps.I guess Red Bull hasnt got the pace to win on the same strategy and the offset strategy gives them potential. It is a bit of a headache in a same way that Ferraris pace is a headache. Our main objective is being fought out on track, when the lights go green it is all that matters.Perhaps the biggest question of all is whether Hamilton attempts to back Rosberg into the pack to make life more difficult for his teammate.With that in mind, the drivers have the following tyres available to make their respective strategies work: Blake Martinez Super Bowl Jersey . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. Geronimo Allison Super Bowl Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. http://www.officialgreenbaypackerspro.com/Jaire-alexander-packers-jersey/ . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Davante Adams Super Bowl Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. ZaDarius Smith Super Bowl Jersey .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. Sydney Roosters rookie halves were taught a heavy lesson in Mondays NRL trouncing to Penrith, says coach Trent Robinson.With star halfback Mitchell Pearce ruled out pre-game with a calf injury, Robinson opted to call up youngster Ryan Matterson to partner fellow greenhorn Connor Watson against the Panthers.And the results were disastrous, with Robinson bemoaning the loss of his chief playmaker.Definitely when you lose your halfback and the guy that guides you around the park, its very difficult. But that doesnt miss tackles either, Robinson said.(Because of) the pressure that we couldnt apply to them, they end up having a fair bit of freedom in play. So if we cant put them into awkward positions through good kicks and pressure, then they play with more freedom.Robinson, whose side have now lost seven of their past eight games to remain second last, blamed his teams poor defensive effort purely on their last-tackle options.It was thhe fifth time this season Robinsons men have lost by at least 20 points.ddddddddddddTheir whole 80 minutes was front-foot attack. So the ball was in good positions for them for the whole game, and thats confidence for them. It ended up in missed tackles and tries eventually, he said.Robinson admitted Matterson and Watson, who boast 21 games experience between them, were taught a harsh lesson.Its hard when you take an experienced player out and you ask those guys to do their job, he said.Thats NRL. Weve faced it a lot this year. Its really tough.Ironically, Robinson was full of praise for Penriths teenage halfback in Nathan Cleary.He was exceptional. He led from the front as an 18-year-old. Its pretty impressive, he said.Pearce is expected to return for next weeks daunting clash against North Queensland. ' ' '