Hawthorn winger Isaac Smith believes the Hawks will enter this AFL finals campaign as the hunter rather than the hunted.Alastair Clarksons side will kick off their bid for a fourth consecutive flag when they take on Geelong at the MCG next Friday night and Smith insists theyre deserved underdogs.Theres two teams above us on the ladder so were definitely going out to hunt them, Smith told reporters on Friday.Theyve got the right to be the favourites going into the game.Hawthorn held a closed training session on Friday morning, with most selection interest centred on injured pair Ben Stratton (pectoral) and Ben McEvoy (back), whose chances of playing have been helped by the contentious bye weekend.While not a fan of the bye as a football lover, Smith admitted it had come at a good time from a team perspective.Weve not been disappointed in the way that weve been playing but we believe we can play better, he said.It was probably a good time to take (stock) and realise where we probably werent performing and where we can get that five or 10 per cent better.I think you can always improve things. Every individual can improve three, four or five per cent.The Hawks won six games by nine points or less this season on their way to third spot on the ladder.Not only did that secure a double chance, it will give them confidence in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a finals contest, according to Smith.I think being in close games certainly sets you up for finals footy because you dont see too many blowouts going into September, he said.So were confident that if the games close we can get the points but it would be nice to put ourselves in those situations. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steelers-Mike-Wagner-Jersey/ . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steelers-Juju-Smith-Schuster-Jersey/ . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steelers-Jordan-Berry-Jersey/ . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steelers-Mike-Hilton-Jersey/ .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steelers-Jack-Lambert-Jersey/ . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. Separation in the AFC, a jumble in the NFC.Closing in on December, fans can expect New England to grab a bye in the AFC, as well as whoever emerges from the NFLs best division, the AFC West. Two wild cards out of the West wouldnt be a surprise either, while the North is a two-team crawl and the South likely belongs to Houston if it can find a way to win a road game.The NFC has powerhouses in Dallas and Seattle, and, well, who knows?No team in the North is particularly inspiring, and Atlanta keeps coming back to the field in the South. The East is intriguing with no teams under .500, and there remain five head-to-head matchups among the Cowboys, Redskins, Giants and Eagles.Maybe the surest bet in the entire league is that the Browns and 49ers will bumble it out for the top overall draft pick. Imagine opening with a win and then losing 15 straight -- and not getting the first selection next spring. Could happen to San Francisco.A look at the division races with Thanksgiving behind us.AFC EASTThe only unexpected item here might be that the Patriots (8-2) havent clinched yet. They went 3-1 without the suspended Tom Brady, and hes come back with a vengeance, among the league leaders in passing. But New England has shown some vulnerability on defense -- not that Miami (6-4), Buffalo (5-5) nor the Jets (3-7) have shown a penchant for doing much with the ball.The Dolphins, riding a five-game winning streak, are in the wild-card mix, with their only opponent that currently owns a winning mark being the Patriots in the finale.AFC NORTHA two-team slog between banged-up Pittsburgh and inconsistent Baltimore. As long as the Steelers have their offense on track, they are dangerous. And the Ravens, who beat Pittsburgh earlier, have a solid defense.This one could come down to Christmas Day in the Steel City, though Baltimore must navigate successive matchups with the Dolphins, Patriots and Eagles before then.AFC SOUTHNo one outside of Houston seems to want to believe in the Texans, yet they have a relatively simple path to the division crown. They have no one on the upcoming schedule that currently has a winning record, and have three of their final four contests within this weak sector.Tennessee might be the team of the future in this division, but seems too fragile to steal the AFC South title this year.AFC WESTThe leagues best group -- yeah, we know that everyone in the NFC East is at or above .500.Oakland (8-2), for the first time since it went to the Super Bowl in 2002, seems headed for a winning record. Who knows, the Raiders could challenge the Patriots for home-field advantage throughout the AFC postseason.But they need to get stingier on defense, and they have to navigate games at all three division rivals.That not only makes for an intriguing Deccember in the AFC West, but perhaps a wild scramble with the defending NFL champion Broncos (7-3) and the usually study but currently injury-prone Chiefs (7-3).ddddddddddddAnd dont discount San Diego (4-6) playing a spoiler role.NFC EASTHow `bout them Cowboys? At 10-1, with a dynamic offense led by rookie stars Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott and the leagues best line, they seem destined to win this highly competitive division. The stumbling block could be the Giants (7-3), whose five-game winning string pales compared to Dallas 10-gamer. Of course, that opening loss for the Cowboys was at home to the Giants.New York will need someone else to knock off Dallas, a major challenge right now, and also must beat the Cowboys in prime time on Dec. 11.Washington (6-4-1) and Philadelphia (5-5) would be in the mix anywhere else in the NFC and might finish on the outside despite being better than some playoff qualifiers.NFC NORTHGreen Bays collapse, due to injuries, poor blocking and some strange coaching decisions, opened the path for Detroit (7-4) and Minnesota (6-5). The Lions big win on Thanksgiving -- yet another comeback success -- gave them a sweep of the Vikings, and a clear path to their first division crown since 1993.The Packers (4-6) have dropped four in a row and dont look capable of any sort of surge.NFC SOUTHThe Falcons (6-4) got off to their second straight fast start. They faded badly to 8-8 in 2015 and they havent looked great in dropping three of their last five. They sure can score -- a league-high 320 points -- and are well coached. But their defense, like Oaklands, needs shoring up.Carolinas plummet to 4-6 has been almost shocking, leaving Tampa Bay (5-5) as the closest challenger. Similar to the Titans, the Bucs need more nurturing, but are getting closer to true contention.New Orleans (4-6) plays lots of tight games, usually losing them. As long as Drew Brees is around, the Saints will scare opponents, though their defense never does.NFC WESTSeattle (7-2-1) has a habit of coming on as the mercury decreases, and seems to be doing so again despite a long line at the infirmary. Russell Wilson has the look of an MVP candidate, and the Seahawks passing offense is formidable. They need to find a running game, and Thomas Rawls return to health is essential.That defense is as physical as they come and will keep Seattle in every game.The rest of the West is hard to look at, especially the Cardinals (4-5-1), a club many called the most talented in the NFL back in September. All that talent has wilted in the desert this season.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL NFL Jerseys Cheap Black China NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Hoodies Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Authentic Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys 2019 Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap NFL Womens Jerseys Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys Wholesale NFL T-shirts Cheap Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping China Jerseys Cheap ' ' '