A ladder can only tell you a small part of how a side's season is going but if you dive a little deeper into the stats they can unearth another part of the story behind the positions.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cobden, Koroit and Warrnambool have been some of the form sides in the Hampden league's open competition this season but their quarters won all tell vastly different stories.
The Bombers are undefeated after 10 rounds and are closing in on securing the minor premiership for the third season in a row.
The ladder-leaders have won all of their opening terms and average 13.6 goals in the first 15 minutes of games this season. They have also not scored less than 10 goals in the opening stanza.
They are also the best second quarter team, winning nine of a possible 10 with an average of 13.4 goals.
They have scored 136 and 134 across in the opening two terms respectively this season compared with 125 and 110 in the third and fourth.
Coach Sophie Hinkley, in her first season as open coach, says the strong starts come down to the style of netball her side is playing this season.
We have been concentrating on playing a strong, fast style of netball and we're also working hard on one-on-one defence.
- Sophie Hinkley
"Often when we begin games it comes with that strong pressure and when we can really put pressure on the opposition it has given us those strong starts."
Hinkley, who has recently returned to the side from hamstring tendinitis, said two players at opposite ends of the court had contributed strongly to the way the Bombers start their matches.
"In order to beat teams well we have that game plan being executed across the court but I would say that Remeny Mccann has been one of biggest players behind it," she said.
"She has had an amazing season at goal defence. She is such an athletic and skilled player that she can have a huge impact on the opposition.
"I know against North (Warrnambool Eagles) they found it difficult to score because she was getting lots of turnovers.
"At the same time, at the other end we had Emily (Finch) nearly shoot at 100 per cent conversion and making it count at the other end makes a huge difference."
As the game wears on the quarters the Bombers, who average 12.625 points a term, win drops off.
They have won six third terms and four final quarters, bringing their quarters won percentage to 75 per cent this season - which is still the best in the competition.
South Warrnambool, which has won 57.5 of its quarters this season, is another strong first half team. Leesa Battistello's side has won eight of its opening terms and six of its second quarters.
The Roosters, who average 11.7 goals a quarter and 12.5 in the opening 15 minutes, have gone into the first break down just twice - against Koroit and Cobden.
Battistello's side has also drawn the most quarters this season with six. Terang Mortlake, Koroit and Warrnambool are next with five each.
Fourth-placed Koroit is fighting to secure a spot in the top five with North Warrnambool Eagles (fifth) and Camperdown (sixth), with all three teams locked on 24 points heading into round 11 this weekend.
The new-look Saints side, which has a mix of youth and experience, is the best final quarter team in the competition, winning eight of its 10 last terms under Danielle McInerney.
McInerney's side, which averages 12.425 goals a quarter, has also won seven first quarters, five second and five third terms.
The first-year mentor contributes the last quarter victories to her side gradually improving as its games go on.
"Because we are such a young side I am coaching them through the other quarters and then when we get to last quarter the girls have picked up where they are improving and where they have gone wrong," she said.
"For us it has been making sure we are improving every quarter.
"With our kids that is what we are trying to do. We are trying to get consistency so we are starting strong and finishing strong and it is really good for kids to get those four quarters together.
"Hopefully in the next few weeks it will happen for us."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark https://www.standard.net.au/
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters.
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
- Tap here to open our Google News page.
- Join our Courts and Crime Facebook group and our dedicated Sport Facebook group.
- If you have subscribed, join our subscriber-only Facebook group.
- Subscribe.
McInerney said she had an inkling where side, which has a majority of its players under the age of 19 and also part of the Warrnambool Mermaids roster, had been performing well and where it needed to improve.
She said her young Saints will start to aim for more consistency as a stable side.
"I knew that our first and last terms had been our best and knew with second quarters we had been struggling with them but also we have thrown around the team and changed positions," she said.
"We have wanted to make sure everyone got an opportunity in the team like those from A1 and as well as our kids but now we will see a more stable side.
"Before we were playing someone when they had been training or playing well and giving them an opportunity in the open side.
"When I took the job I knew we had lost a few to retirement and having babies and I wanted to develop kids and I feel like they have had lots opportunity but now we'll get a bit more steady and have a stable, consistent team."
Liz Fowler's rebuilding Terang Mortlake side and Kelsey Lewis' Hamilton Kangaroos are in the bottom half of the ladder but are two of the best finishing teams behind Koroit.
Brooke Richardson's Camperdown is also one of the best in the last quarter and like the Bloods, Kangaroos and Cobden have won five of their final terms this season.
Warrnambool has one of the lowest last and first quarter win tallies in the competition.
The Blues have won just three times in the first quarter and two in the final quarter but they are strong in the second and third terms, winning six each.
Injury-ravaged Port Fairy, developing Portland and Terang Mortlake have won the least first quarters with two. The Seagulls and Tigers have won three and two final terms respectively.
Coach Raewyn Poumako admits her side is not the best starters or finishes but they were working to rectify that as they edge closer to another finals series under her guidance.
"We have improved since the start of the year and we have been working on getting better starts but it's been a bit slow," she said.
"We are getting there slowly and it's something we continuing to work on.
"We often have have a lot of opportunities in the first five minutes but we don't necessarily convert them so we have to make sure we are converting them.
"With the middle two quarters, we tend to take a bit to warm up and get going but then we are quite consistent and we are probably playing freer, let the ball go a quicker and have more flow.
"(In final quarters) we have been up by reasonably big margins in a few of our games and in the last quarter we do take pedal off.
Listen to the latest episode of our weekly podcast The Main Break:
"We also have lots of changes then to give young players and up-and-comers an opportunity and when that opportunity comes up we like to take it up."
Poumako said her side had adjusted its warm up and improved its fitness.
"We are focusing on what plays we want to do at the start of a game so we have a real concrete plan when we hit that court," she said.
"We have had fatigue early on in games as well and our fitness has improved and that was shown on weekend (in the win against South Warrnambool).
"It was a really quick, physical game and fitness wise we played it out well."
North Warrnambool Eagles is another strong team in the middle part of the game.
The Eagles have won six second and seven third terms.
Skye Billings' side is also onw of the best in first terms with five wins it has also won four last quarters. The Eagles have drawn three quarters.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.