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The AFL grand final will double as a reminder of the sports development north of the Murray River, with seven players set to represent both club and state at the MCG.Sydney co-captains Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack, veteran Ben McGlynn, defender Dane Rampe, ruckman Sam Naismith and young guns Isaac Heeney and Callum Mills were all recruited from NSW. In sharp contract there wont be one player from NSW running out for Western Bulldogs on Saturday.McGlynn hails from the border town of Dareton but otherwise they all learned to love football from beyond the Barassi Line. They took divergent paths to the SCG and reflect how recruitment and development has changed in Sydney and NSW over the past 20 years.Heeney, who grew up south of Newcastle in the town of Cardiff, and North Shore product Mills have both declared they would have stopped playing Australian football if not for the Swans Academy.McVeigh, the oldest of Sydneys NSW contingent, didnt have the same luxury.The 31-year-old was 11 when he watched an epic preliminary final from the SCG stands, revelling as Tony Lockett steered Sydney into the season decider with a point after the siren.McVeigh was at the MCG for the ensuing grand final. It was a match that made many Sydneysiders, including Jack, first sit up and take notice of the sport.But McVeigh was no stranger to the ground or the game, thanks to the fact father Tony played for Williamstown in the VFA.McVeigh had dreamed of winning an AFL grand final since attending the 1993 season decider but being based on the Central Coast presented difficulties.AFL wasnt talked about in the playground at all really, not many people knew much about it or the Swans ... there was only one other person from my school that played the game, McVeigh recalled in a column earlier this year.McVeighs parents recognised the best place for him and brother Mark to be noticed by recruiters was in Sydney so they agreed to make a regular commute. The boys become draftees after playing for Pennant Hills.Jack also made a big impression at the same club, having opted against following father and Balmain legend Garry Jack into rugby league.Jack played Australian football for the first time in the school-based Paul Kelly Cup and was instantly hooked. His AFL career started on the Swans rookie list - as was the case with Rampe and Naismith.Rampe was born and bred in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. The Swans supporter turned All-Australian defender still hasnt forgiven father Indrek for not flying him down for the 2005 and 2006 grand finals.Rampe moved to Melbourne after finishing school but returned home after a fruitless VFL stint. Dominant performances from the defender in the local Sydney league caught the attention of Paul Roos, then an academy coach, and word spread of his potential.Roos also helped steer Naismith from the north-eastern NSW town of Gunnedeah to Sydney. The rugby league fan started playing Australian football late in his childhood and was set to stop until a call from Roos convinced him otherwise.Id never been to the SCG and hadnt watched much AFL at all. The first game I watched was the 2008 grand final. There was very minimal exposure to it in the country, Naismith told AAP.Hopefully its a bit different now. Im sure mum has been telling everyone theres a game on and therell be a few people back home watching.Whenver Naismith drives through country NSW he is staggered by the changing scenery.It seems like its almost doubling every year. Before youd drive around and wouldnt see any AFL goal posts anywhere ... I think its developing nicely, he said. Asics Shoes Cheap Australia . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. 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Reggie Jackson hasnt played this season due to knee tendinitis, and Andre Drummond was sidelined with a sprained ankle.Russell Westbrook had 33 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for Oklahoma City (6-5), which has dropped four in a row. Victor Oladipo finished with nine points, but he was the only other starter to score more than four.Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 17 points for Detroit.The Pistons used their post players to build a 59-47 halftime lead despite Westbrooks 25 points. Oklahoma City missed nine of 10 3-point attempts in the half, and Oladipo went 1 for 7 from the floor. Harris and Baynes each scored 13 points.Detroit led by as many as 19 in the third, but its reserves didnt have as much success as they had in the first half. The Thunder finished the quarter with a 13-2 run to trail 78-68.Despite Westbrooks best efforts, the Thunder couldnt put together a serious run down the stretch. On several occasions, he was able to pull defenders toward him and findd an open teammate, only for them to badly miss the shot.ddddddddddddTIP-INSThunder: Westbrook scored Oklahoma Citys last 14 points in the first half. ... Jerami Grant and Enes Kanter combined to hit nine of 16 shots in the first three quarters, helping keep Oklahoma City in the game. ... Westbrook picked up a technical foul in the first half for an accidental low blow against Caldwell-Pope.Pistons: Detroit is the last team in the NBA to be undefeated at home. ... With Drummond sidelined, the Pistons only grabbed one offensive rebound in the first half. ... Baynes got hit on his protective mask by Westbrook late in the fourth, and needed medical attention to stop the bleeding from his previously broken nose.JUST TOO LATEWestbrook almost had 28 first-half points, but a replay review showed his 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer was still in his hand when time expired.UP NEXTThunder: Return home to host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.Pistons: Travel to Madison Square Garden to play the Knicks on Wednesday. Detroit beat the Knicks 102-89 on Nov. 1 behind 25 points from Harris. Carmelo Anthony led New York with 24 points. ' ' '