Germany is looking to establish a run of Olympic mens field hockey dominance unseen in more than half a century.The Germans seek their third straight gold medal in Rio this August. With a victory, Germany would become the first nation to win at least three consecutive golds since India won six straight from 1928 to 1956.Theres plenty of veteran leadership and experience left over from Germanys past winners, including two former FIH (International Hockey Federation) Player of the Year award winners -- Tobias Hauke (2013) and Moritz Furste (2012). Maximilian Muller, Benjamin Wess, Oliver Korn and Christopher Zeller also have a pair of gold medals.The path is lined with tough challengers, including top-ranked Australia led by stars Jamie Dwyer and Mark Knowles. The Kookaburras won the Champions Trophy in June.Dwyer, the five-time FIH Player of the Year, was on the 2004 gold-medal winning squad, but Australia settled for bronze in both Beijing and London. Hes 37 years old, but still performing at a high level.He has an underlying competitive desire, Australia coach Graham Reid said. The way he approaches training and the way he approaches games -- he brings that to everything to do with hockey, even off the field. Hes diligent, hes professional. And thats what, I think, gives you that longevity. Longevity is not easy in any sport, to be honest, especially in quite a physically demanding sport.Knowles is coming into his own at age 31 as he heads into his fourth Olympics. He was the FIH Player of the Year in 2014.The Netherlands is ranked second and has a long history of being strong at the Olympics. Robert van der Horst, the 2015 FIH Player of the Year, leads the Oranje. He was a part of the Dutch team that earned silver medals at the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup.Great Britain should be a threat -- England is ranked No. 4 in the world. India is ranked No. 5 and Belgium is No. 6.Argentina, which won the Pan American Games last year, is No. 7.Here are some things to watch as competition begins in Rio:AUSTRALIAS SUCCESSThe Kookaburras have the No. 1 ranking and perhaps something even more important -- a victory at the 2014 World Cup. Australia rolled past the Netherlands 6-1 in the final.I think perhaps it helps a little bit in belief that some of this group has, Reid said. That always helps to know that you can win a really important title like that. Unfortunately, its a long bow to draw to say that just because we won the World Cup, it will have too much bearing on the Olympic Games.INDIAIndia finished second in the Champions Tourney and has moved up to No. 5 in the world rankings. The squad seeks its first medal since 1980, when it claimed the gold in Moscow.HOME COOKING?Brazils men will compete in the tournament, though the team was just No. 30 in the latest rankings. The squad finished fourth in the Pan American Games last year.Host nations have done well the past few Olympics. Chinas women finished second in Beijing in 2008, and Great Britains men were fourth in London in 2012, while its women were third.LUCK OF THE IRISH?Ireland will make its first ever appearance at the Olympics. The team is No. 12 in the latest rankings and features David Harte, the 2015 FIH Goalkeeper of the Year.RISING STARGermanys Christopher Ruhr was named the FIH Rising Star of the Year in 2015. He scored 15 goals in 30 international matches last year. He also won the award in 2013.KEY MATCHES: Belgium vs. Great Britain, Aug. 6; Netherlands vs. Argentina, Aug. 6; Belgium vs. Australia, Aug. 9; Great Britain vs. Australia, Aug. 10; Netherlands vs. Germany, Aug. 12. Gold medal match, Aug. 18.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAP Ryan Suter Jersey . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. Tyler Ennis 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.authentichockeyshopwild.com/adidas+kyle+quincey+wild+jersey . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. Devan Dubnyk Jersey . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. Nino Niederreiter Jersey .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Ireland 265 for 5 (Joyce 160*, Wilson 58) beat Afghanistan 253 for 9 (Najibullah 54, Rashid 40, OBrien 3-57) by 12 runsScorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEd Joyce hammered a career-best 148-ball 160* in an innings that featured 19 fours and three sixes to propel Ireland to a series-levelling win against Afghanistan in Belfast. Joyces knock, the second-best score by an Ireland batsman in ODIs and third-highest by a player from an Associate team, helped the side post 265 for 5, a total they defended by 12 runs. The five-match series was tied 2-2.Ireland, who were batting first for the first time in the series, lost captain William Porterfield in the fifth over when he edged to second slip for 8. Sean Terry, playing his third ODI, was dismissed in the 10th over when Yamin Ahmadzai completed a stunning one-handed grab off his own bowling, diving low to his right.Gary Wilson, promoted to No. 4, and Joyce then got stuck into rebuilding the innings. Joyce got to his fifty in the 24th over, off 70 balls. The pair combined for a 134-run stand to set up a strong platform for Ireland in the end overs. In between, Wilson survived a nasty collision with Mohammad Shahzad in the 32nd over, when he tried to return to his crease.Wilson holed out to square leg off the first ball of the 41st over, for 58 off 92 balls. At that stage, Joyce was on 93. After Kevin OBrien fell in the following over, Joyce took chargee and smashed 67 of the 87 that Ireland scored in the last 10 overs.dddddddddddd He finished with 60.37% of Irelands runs, the highest percentage in a completed ODI innings for an Associate side.After the game, Joyce, who was named Man of the Series, said he was spurred on by his controversial dismissal in the previous match. I probably was extra motivated; I was actually pretty tired this morning going into the game, had a niggle, but what happened in the last game obviously gave a bit of extra motivation.Afghanistans chase was dented early by the Ireland seamers as they were quickly reduced to 27 for 3. Rahmat Shah (30), captain Asghar Stanikzai (32) and Mohammad Nabi (25) got starts in the middle order but failed to convert as Ireland chipped away.Afghanistan were tottering at 119 for 6 in the 33rd over. Najibullah Zadran and legspinner Rashid Khan, however, put on a 93-run seventh-wicket stand but the soaring asking rate proved insurmountable. Three wickets in three balls - one at the end of the 46th over and two at the start of the next - effectively killed the chase.Dawlat Zadran smashed five boundaries in his unbeaten 15-ball 31 but it wasnt enough. OBrien finished with 3 for 57, while medium-pacers Peter Chase and Barry McCarthy picked up two wickets each. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '