James Maloney has seen the good and the bad of preliminary finals.As the star Cronulla playmaker prepares to play off for a spot in the NRL grand final for the fourth straight year, he feels the losses more keenly than the wins.After three successive preliminary finals with Sydney Roosters, Maloney shapes as key to Cronullas hopes of progressing through to the grand final with a win over North Queensland at Allianz Stadium on Friday.In 2013 Maloney won the NRL premiership with the Roosters, but the past two years ended in heartbreak.You just understand how bad it feels to get knocked out at a game like this, Maloney said.We have put ourselves in a really good position. We have put a lot of expectations on ourselves. If we were to bow out this week, then it ends in a lot of disappointment.You only get so many opportunities in sides to do something special and it sucks to not take advantage of it.Maloney said the lesson he has taken from these big games was the hurt losses can bring.I still look back at the Roosters sides we had, we only managed to win it one out of the three years and I reckon we should have got at least one of the other two. That still hurts, he said.We have enough older guys here (at Cronulla) that have played enough footy and they realise how rare it is.It is making sure the younger guys are aware of that.It is easy for them to come into a successful side and think it just happens but you have to realise it doesnt.You need to make sure you take your opportunities. LeBron James Shoes For Sale . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Cheap LeBron James Shoes . 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Which are: You should be married with children, settled in your career and of course, have it all figured out before turning 30 years old.Her character, also named Issa, is 29 and doesnt have it all figured out. She lives in Los Angeles with her loafer boyfriend Lawrence (Jay Ellis), and works at We Got Yall, an education nonprofit that does academic outreach for inner-city youth. And is unfulfilled in general.In the opening scene, the children of We Got Yall instantly recognize her insecurities the moment she steps into the classroom, and force her to face them. One-by-one, they shout out: Why do you talk like a white girl? Whats up with your hair? Why arent you married? And the most biting statement of all: Aint nobody checking for bitter ass black women anymore.Her character quips back black women arent bitter. We are just tired of settling for less -- meaning settling for lesser education, jobs and/or relationships.Rae, a 31-year-old Stanford grad, and the shows co-creator, executive producer and protagonist, refuses to settle. [As black women], we dont get to be completely human with flaws and boring moments [on television]. We dont get to sit in the minutiae of just being black. Its always high stakes and we dont really get to see a real slice of life. Thats something that was important for me to depict, said Rae. I dont have constant drama. My issues ... on a scale, are very minor.But, just because the show is loosely based on Raes day-to-day interactions, doesnt mean they are only relatable to a specific audience. I am completely open and honest about my life and being a black woman [in the series]. But, the show is not the voice of all black women. Its about my very specific experience, but has elements that are relatable for all.?Having cut her teeth as the star and creator of the Awkward Black Girl?web-series (debuted in 2011 and wrapped in 2013), Rae is accustomed to creating authentiic stories that are crafted on her own terms.ddddddddddddHowever, Insecure, a full Hollywood production, is more polished, without being watered down.Co-created with Larry Wilmore of the now defunct Comedy Central news-talk program The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore -- Insecure feels genuine, yet digestible for a mass audience. And Rae thinks the diversity of her writers room has something to do with that. Our writers room looks like this country. We have young people and old people. People from the LGBTQ community. Theres black, white and Latino people. It was important for me to have that diversity on the team. It should be relatable to all people, she noted.?As a coming-of-age tale for metropolitan professional women, Insecure can be lazily compared to Lena Dunhams Girls.?But, according to Rae, the two series have very difference voices. I dont see the comparison. We have a different perspective. I love [Lenas] take, but our show is more grown-up. Lena and I are just both young women with shows on HBO, Rae added.However, as accomplished as Rae is, she still battles her own set of insecurities. And of course, shes afraid of the show being misunderstood, or worse ... failing. I want people to embrace the show. I dont want people to think that its risky to take on a show that focuses on women, or even black women. I have to campaign for others to have opportunities in future, she said.A line from LA-based rapper Kendrick Lamar s 2015 song Alright rings out in the shows introduction. The lyrics: All my life I has to fight ... Hard times like yah ... But if God got us then we gon be alright, which seems fitting. Issa Rae is going to be alright.Shes bringing quality content to a mass audience that just happens to feature black women in lead roles. There no social justice spin, no soap box statements, its just a funny and smart-as-hell show, thats relatable for all.Ericka N. Goodman-Hughey is a senior editor at espnW. Follow her on Twitter @ericka_editor ' ' '