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Stefan Ratchford admits Warringtons Super League table-topping clash with Wigan on Thursday could be pivotal in the race for the league leaders shield. The two clubs are locked on the same number of points just past the halfway point of the regular season and Ratchford sees the visit of the Warriors - and with it the chance to complete a quick-fire double - as a glorious opportunity to lay down a marker.Its going to be a real tough game, it always is regardless of the positions in the table but this is a top-of-the-table clash and, if we can get two points ahead of them and then pick up some more wins in the next few weeks it puts you in a good position for the rest of the year, Ratchford said. The Wolves made a statement with their 28-16 win at the DW Stadium at the start of the month but then suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of St Helens and Huddersfield.They returned to winning ways at Widnes last week and Ratchford concedes they are still striving for consistency. Warringon v Wigan: Key battles Three head-to-heads which could decide Thursdays contest We performed quite well at Wigan but we dont want to be a team that performs one week and then drops off the week after, he said. We want to be consistent in our performances.At Huddersfield we were way off the levels we expect of ourselves so at Widnes it was about getting back to that. I think we did that quite well but we are going to have to play at another level to get another victory against Wigan. Warrington recorded an emphatic derby victory over Widnes last weekend Thursdays game will be Shaun Wanes 150th as head coach of the Warriors, one more than he achieved as a player with his hometown club, but he is more interested in his teams prospects than any individual milestone and is anticipating another difficult test.Theyve got some very good players and theyre playing well, he said. Theyve done well with injuries and have had the same team out a lot this year.Theyre playing a good brand of rugby league so its got the makings of a great game. Sky Live: Warrington v Wigan George Williams returns for Wigans trip to the Halliwell Jones Stadium Wigan have been decimated by injuries while a flu virus was also a contributory factor in their 62-0 thrashing by Wakefield and Richard Agar is full of admiration for their ability to sustain a tilt for the top.I think Wigan are doing remarkably well at the moment, said Warringtons assistant coach.You always expect them to be right up there when the whips are cracking but the amount of injuries and disruption theyve had would have tested the very best and its a real testament to the depth and strength of their club that they are where they are, with a chance to go top. Wigan finished strongly to defeat Huddersfield at the DW Stadium in round 12 Theyre up there despite having so many influential changes and missing the spine of the team altered on a fairly consistent basis.Its a really big game. Both teams are sat on equal points on the ladder so theres a lot riding on it.Wigan have received some respite from their injury crisis with stand-off George Williams set to return from a two-month absence to line up against Ratchford, who rates the England international.Hes a real good player is George, said Ratchford. Hes a special talent. He has a lot of speed and he creates a lot for them.Hes been missing for a long time so if hes back hell be a big boost for them.Watch Warrington v Wigan live on Sky Sports 2 HD on Thursday from 7.30pm. Catch the match for £6.99 on NOW TV. No contract. Also See: Warrington v Wigan: Key battles WATCH: Wolves ready for Warriors test Sky Live: Warrington v Wigan Follow @SkySportsRL Paul George Shoes Deals .com) - The fading Ottawa Senators have a chance to make up some ground in the playoff race on Tuesday night as they play host to the New York Rangers. Paul George Shoes Outlet .Shipulin pulled away from Martin Fourcade of France, Simon Eder of Austria and Fredrik Lindstrom of Sweden to finish in 35 minutes 16.8 seconds. Fourcade was 1.2 seconds back in second place to reclaim the overall World Cup lead, with Eder another 0. https://www.cheappaulgeorgeshoes.com/ . -- Billy Donovans bench came up big, bailing out top-seeded Florida in a tight game against what was supposed to be an overmatched opponent. Wholesale Paul George Shoes . -- Jesse Lussier scored 8:24 into overtime as the Halifax Mooseheads erased a four-goal deficit to beat the host Val-dOr Foreurs 6-5 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action. Paul George Shoes From China . Sharper briefly appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court, where his arraignment was postponed until Feb. 20 at the request of his lawyers. They issued a statement saying he would be exonerated. Prosecutors then filed a motion to increase Sharpers bail to $10 million and outlined details of investigations involving him in Las Vegas, Tempe, Ariz.OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Drawing on the knowledge he gained over 35 years as a football coach, Ravens defensive co-ordinator Dean Pees showed his creativity and expertise this season in putting together a unit that sustained its hard-hitting reputation despite several key injuries and the suspension of Haloti Ngata.The Ravens enter Saturdays playoff game at New England with six defensive backs on injured reserve. Baltimore has employed 12 different cornerbacks over the course of the season and also endured a month without Ngata after the five-time Pro Bowl tackle was disciplined by the league for using Adderall.And still, the Ravens upheld their tradition of defensive excellence.Only five teams allowed fewer points, no running back ran for 100 yards and Baltimore yielded no more than one touchdown in nine of its 16 regular-season games. Most importantly, the Ravens (11-6) played well enough to earn a trip to the post-season for the sixth time in seven years.Weve been through so many different players, and Dean has done a really tremendous job of tailoring the scheme toward what guys can do well, coach John Harbaugh said.We dont really look like the same defence every week in a lot of different ways. Its not like we revamp everything we do, but hes always going to give an opponent something different that theyre maybe not expecting to help guys play certain situations.Pees often stays up late at night drawing up Xs and Os in an effort to find the best way to utilize those at his disposal. Its not unlike his effort two years ago, when he worked through injuries to linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs to help Baltimore win the Super Bowl.Some years are just like that, Pees said. Weve got to stay here as long as weve got to stay here to get the job done.Baltimore started the season without injured cornerback Lardarius Webb and lost its other starting cornerback, Jimmy Smith, halfway into the season.More injuries to the secondary followed, leaving Pees no choice but to shuffle his coverage and use more blitzes to keep the pressure on the quarterback.Somehow, everything fell onto place.Dean has done an excellent job this year with rotating the safeties and the secondary, the next-man-up thing, Webb said. Hes done a great job of adjusting to the strength of his players. Thats one thing hes always been good at.ddddddddddddHes a nice, aggressive defensive co-ordinator. I love playing for him.Pees, 65, broke into coaching in 1979 as defensive co-ordinator of the University of Findlay (Ohio). He then served as an assistant for five different colleges, including Notre Dame and Michigan State, before taking over as head coach at Kent State in 1998.That job lasted for five years before he was hired as New Englands linebackers coach, a post Pees held for two years before becoming the Patriots defensive co-ordinator from 2006-09.Pees then came to Baltimore, working as linebackers coach for two years before replacing defensive co-ordinator Chuck Pagano, who got the top job in Indianapolis.Pees style can be described as teaching with a purpose.If you dont understand something or dont feel like you can get it down pat, all you have to do is just let him know, Ravens safety Will Hill said. Hes always up new challenges, and always has new schemes. He knows his players and what situations to put people in.Pees will have a heck of a challenge on Saturday against the Patriots (12-4). He doesnt expect his familiarity with New England coach Bill Belichick to factor into the game plan.At this point in time, I dont think I know him as well as everybody thinks I know him, Pees said. Ive been gone five years. Its been so far removed, its different.Although Pees is sure to have some new wrinkles in his defence, the Patriots have a good idea what to expect.Its a great team defence, New England quarterback Tom Brady said. Theyve always had a great defence. Theyre always one of the toughest defences we play all year.Pees is the sixth defensive co-ordinator in Ravens history. Four of the previous five went on to become NFL head coaches, but Pees isnt expecting to change jobs anytime soon.Its got to be something that you want to do; its not the prestige of wanting to be a head coach, he said. Ive never been fired, and I never left a job that I didnt like. Ive always just thought the other opportunity was better, or it was, Id like to try that.Id never say never, but I am so happy here. I love Baltimore, my family loves Baltimore, I love this defence and I love working for John Harbaugh.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '