Canberra flew under the radar for most of the season, but the Raiders wont cop critics who say they dont deserve to be in the NRL top four.Canberra are safely nestled in third position going into round 23, one point clear of Canterbury in fourth and, more important, three points ahead of the rest of the pack.It means that after an Origin period in which they won six matches from seven, they need only hold their form to ensure they finish in front of last seasons grand finalists, North Queensland and Brisbane.Raiders captain Jarrod Croker refuses to agree with those who dont believe they have earned their spot above the supposed premiership heavyweights.Were there so we deserve to be there, he said.A lot of people are saying Canterbury dont deserve to be there, but theyve won more games than everyone below them so I dont know why they dont deserve to be there, either.Were happy with where were at at the moment.Canberra havent finished in the top four since 2003, and are also the only team to have failed to make the third week of the finals since the start of the NRL era in 1998.However, they have the chance to solidify their top-four hopes against table-topping Melbourne on Monday night in Canberra.And while the Storm only worked their way into first position when Canberra upset Cronulla by 16 points last weekend, Croker doesnt expect it to be quite so easy on Monday.Theyre so consistent, the Storm, Croker said.Theyre a high-quality side and were going to have to be better than we were last week. Adidas Superstars Clearance Sale . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. Adidas Superstar For Sale Cheap . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. http://www.superstarcheap.com/ . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. Adidas Superstars Sale Cheap . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. Adidas Superstar Wholesale China . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. (STATS) -- Whos in, whos out?Eight teams have distinguished themselves for seeds and first-round byes in the 24-team FCS playoffs. But plenty of teams will be on edge leading into the ESPNU selection show on Sunday (11 a.m. ET).After having five teams in the field each of the past two seasons, it would be bizarre for the Missouri Valley Football Conference if three other conferences -- the Big Sky Conference, CAA Football and Southern Conference -- have more teams. Its possible if at-large hopeful Illinois States bubble is burst.On an odd final full weekend of the regular season, so many teams in contention for an at-large bid lost their game, including Liberty, Maine, Montana, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, Samford and Western Illinois.So there are a good seven teams in contention for the final spots. Well go Maine, New Hampshire, Samford and Weber State over Illinois State, Fordham and Southeastern Louisiana.---=PROJECTED BIDS BY CONFERENCE*- automatic qualifierBig Sky (4): Cal Poly (7-4), *Eastern Washington (10-1), North Dakota (9-2), Weber State (7-4)Big South (1): *Charleston Southern (7-3)CAA (5): Albany (7-4), *James Madiison (10-1), New Hampshire (7-4), Richmond (8-3), Villanova (8-3)MEAC (1): North Carolina A&T (9-2)Missouri Valley (3): North Dakota State (10-1), *South Dakota State (8-3), Youngstown State (8-3)NEC (1): *Saint Francis (7-4)OVC (1): *Jacksonville State (10-1)Patriot (1): *Lehigh (9-2)Pioneer (1): *San Diego (9-1)Southern (4): Chattanooga (9-2), Samford (7-4), *The Citadel (10-1), Wofford (8-3)Southland (2): *Sam Houston State (11-0), Central Arkansas (9-2)---=STATS PROJECTED PAIRINGSTop 8 seeds have first-round byesSan Diego-Weber State winner at No.dddddddddddd1 seed North Dakota StateSaint Francis-Villanova winner at No. 8 seed North DakotaSamford-Richmond winner at No. 5 seed Sam Houston StateChattanooga-North Carolina A&T winner at No. 4 seed James MadisonLehigh-New Hampshire winner at No. 7 seed South Dakota StateAlbany-Youngstown State winner at No. 2 seed Eastern WashingtonCal Poly-Central Arkansas winner at No. 3 seed Jacksonville StateCharleston Southern-Wofford winner at No. 6 seed The Citadel ' ' '