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In the Christmas break of 2001, my family and I holidayed in the Cederberg, a remote wilderness area about two and a bit hours drive north of Cape Town. We rented a cottage at the foot of a gravel pass and spent long, lazy days with our three young sons splashing about in the nearby rock pools at the foot of our veranda.The cottage had no television, radio reception was erratic and the nearest newspaper - invariably a day or two old - could only be found if you were prepared to slog 60 or 70 dusty kilometres back down the valley. At the time, the South Africans, captained by Shaun Pollock, were struggling their way across Australia. It was a nuisance - but, lets be honest, oddly convenient - not to have to follow them too closely.One day in early January we decided to escape the inland heat. We bundled the children into their car seats and headed for the soft, misty seascapes of the Namaqualand coast. Out of the mountains, radio reception improved. We tuned in just in time to hear about Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer putting the brutal finishing touches to yet another Aussie victory.This was in Sydney, the third Test of the series, and they duly won by ten wickets. They had taken the first Test, in Adelaide, by 246 runs and won by nine wickets to seal the series in Melbourne. Despite protestations to the contrary, the bravado of young men, South Africa didnt really come close to winning.In our heart of hearts, we all knew they never would.There was nothing easygoing about the way in which the Australian side of that vintage approached victory. They softened you up for three or four days, rattled about in your head, and then administered the knockout blow.This was not a bad South African side. The Aussies, though, were enviably complete, with Damien Martyn batting at six (he scored a first-innings century in Sydney, after Hayden and Langer had started the match with an opening stand of 219) and Adam Gilchrist at seven. After that came four bowlers, including Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. Here was the perfectly proportioned side.For some reason, I remember that early January morning surprisingly clearly. Driving west through the desert scrubland, savouring the vast emptiness, the children fast asleep in the back on the car, I thought that Australian cricket was so preternaturally strong that this was how it would always be. The South Africans, with their pluck and threadbare optimism, would pretend to believe they could take Australia but they couldnt, not really.When Western Australia scored 600 against the South Africans in a warm-up game and then the tourists lost by five wickets to an Australia A side at the beginning of the one-day series that followed the Tests, you suddenly understood something about the Aussie cricketing empire. Here was an imperium with reserve armies you didnt know they had. There was something frighteningly eternal to their strength and depth.This is a myth, of course, we know that now. Things even out in the long cycles of decline and fall and the South Africans go into the first Test early next month with genuine rather than mock belief. One of the reasons why such myths persisted for longer here than anywhere else is because South African cricket had been readmitted to the world game for only ten years when Pollock took the team to Australia in 2001-02. South African fans - and journalists - didnt have the luxury of long comparisons to fall back on, comparisons going back, say 20, or even 30 years. To us - to me - this frightening strength was unlikely to change because we never had the benefit of long, uninterrupted comparisons.From the vantage point of the present, though, Australian cricket looks unaccountably vulnerable, mortal. Watching their ODI side being drubbed 5-0 here in South Africa a month ago, I was reminded of nothing so much as a South African side of yore, almost to the point of caricature. There was precious little variation in the right-arm-over bowling, and a curious diffidence hung about them. They had no big turning spinner and there was a certain iffiness about the batting. Things pretty much seem to have come full circle.The liberation of knowing you have achieved something worthwhile in the same place before will give the South Africans strength ahead of the first Test. They have won in Perth on both previous trips to Australia and you do rather wonder about Cricket Australias wisdom of putting them there again.This is not to make any rash predictions about the series. What I do know is that somewhere along the line, thanks to South Africa and others, like England in 2005, the myth of Australian invincibility got rudely shattered. It has never been quite the same again. 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Fake Balenciaga 2020 . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. You hear this a lot when it comes to setting your roster during the playoffs of the fantasy football season: Start your studs. Dont overthink it. Dance with the ones who brought you there, metaphorically speaking. In Week 14, two of the true studs in fantasy football this season, Chargers running back Melvin Gordon and Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, either had their Sunday cut short because of injury (Gordon) or saw it end before it even began because of injury (Jones). Its not often that waiver-wire adds entering Week 15 can be difference-makers for your team, but injuries can lead to opportunity.The next players up for those respective roles are among the names to note in the Week 15 ESPN Fantasy wavier-wire column.Note: All players who appear in this column are owned in less than 50 percent of leagues on ESPN.com.Bilal Powell, RB, New York Jets (37.2 percent). Perhaps at some point this offseason Ill take the time to scroll through each version of the waiver-wire column, as my guess for the player who appeared on it most frequently is Powell. Well, expect him to bolt past the 50 percent barometer after a 29-carry, 145-yard, two-touchdown effort in Week 14. Matt Forte left the game early because of a knee injury and the Jets are in evaluation for the future mode. If Forte doesnt return this season, Powell is a top-20 running back the rest of the way and a must-add.Kenneth Farrow, RB, San Diego Chargers (0.5 percent). The undrafted free agent out of Houston took over as the workhorse for San Diego following Gordons early injury, toting the football 16 times for 55 yards while adding six catches for 23 yards. We dont yet know how much time Gordon will miss due to a hip injury, but with three games left in the season and virtually no shot at the playoffs, San Diego might elect to take the long view and not rush him back. Farrow is a must-add in all-size leagues.Kenneth Dixon, RB, Baltimore Ravens (45.8 percent). The Ravens rookie impressed on Monday night, totaling 19 touches for 81 yards and a touchdown. Hes a tackle-breaker who is adept in the passing game (eight catches in Week 14). He does not have the starting job unto himself in Baltimore, but he looks like their most well-rounded option. Hes an add for anyone who needs running back depth, and he has increased value in a points per reception league.Ty Montgomery, RB/WR, Green Bay Packers (34.9 percent). By the eye test, the best running back on the Packers roster is Montgomery, who found the end zone in Week 14 and has earned the right to stay involved going forward. Of course, Montgomery carries multi-position value (he remains eligible as a wide receiver) and should be added for any owner in need of a potential fill-in at either spot. Although he has moved into a running back role, Montgomery has at least two catches in eight straight games (including 10 catches in consecutive games in the final games of October for Green Bay). Hes a useful option in PPR scoring.Dontrelle Inman, WR, San Diego Chargers (27.0 percent). Another regular in this column, Inman just keeps on keeping on for the Chargers receiving crew. He has scored a touchdown in three straight games and has maintained a steady role throughoutt the season; he leads the team in wide receiver snaps and has at least 50 receiving yards or a touchdown in seven of his past 10 games.dddddddddddd Hes an add who merits flex consideration for anyone in a 12-team or larger league.Pierre Garcon, WR, Washington (43.8 percent). If you play in a points per reception league, Garcon might be long gone. But if for some reason hes available, act swiftly to pick him up. The ultra-reliable wideout has 34 grabs over his past six games and found the end zone in Week 14. Washington is going to throw it a ton and next hosts Carolina in Week 15. There isnt a matchup on the remaining schedule that scares you. In a deeper league, Garcon is a PPR starter. In a 12-team league, hes on the flex radar.Marqise Lee, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (6.7 percent). A bright spot during a downtrodden Jacksonville season, Lee has made his mark in this offense. He has at least 50 receiving yards or a touchdown in five of the past six games and is coming off a five-catch, 113-yard effort in Week 14. Lee is a former second-round pick who has put it together this year and is a worthwhile flex consideration in a league with 12 or more teams.Dwayne Washington, RB, Detroit Lions (5.8 percent). Theo Riddick was a surprise scratch in Week 14, so one could expect him to be back this Sunday, while Zach Zenner departed the teams last game with an apparent injury. Until we know for sure that either could play in Week 15, Washington is a speculative deeper-league add for a desperate owner in need of a running back. He led the team with 16 carries in Week 14 and could continue to be the lead back this Sunday against the Giants.Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets (1.6 percent). We wrote about Anderson last week as a stash player in keeper leagues, and that sentiment holds true this week if you are looking ahead to 2017. But if you are still in the playoffs and in need of a volume flex option, Anderson fits. He has 10 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown on 23 targets over the past two games, staying busy as the Jets passing game tries to find its footing with Bryce Petty under center. Hes a risk-reward play for those in a deeper league.Jermaine Gresham, TE, Arizona Cardinals (12.4 percent). The tight end position has been so incredibly unpredictable this season, especially with injuries to Rob Gronkowski and Jordan Reed (the latter of which limited his production in Week 14). So if youre in need of a fill-in whose floor has risen in recent weeks, Gresham is a worthwhile consideration. He has five catches in three straight games and two touchdowns in that same span.Matt Asiata, RB, Minnesota Vikings (44.0 percent). The pickings are slim on the waiver wire at this time of the year, so there will probably be some Melvin Gordon or Matt Forte owners who are unable to grab the aforementioned backs on this list. Asiata doesnt have a ton of upside -- he hasnt surpassed 55 rushing yards in a game this season -- but he has a touchdown in three of his past four games. If you need a plug-in back and miss on other options, keep Asiata on the radar. ' ' '