Go the Vixens! Cracking win last week which sees their ability strengthen (see below), whilst the Fever continue their downwards trajectory in terms of predicted ability. Thunderbirds stuck to their bottom-dwelling, lets hope they change something up, as they don’t really add a lot to the competition at the moment.
Mid-season Stocktake
Now we’re halfway through the season, and I thought I’d take a quick look at how the new points scoring is panning out. The ladder below shows the current points based on the new system: four points for a win plus one point for each quarter won, along with the old system (two points for a win). Also shown is the ladder position as it would have been based off the old points system.
| Team | New Points | Bonus Points | Percentage | Old Points | Old Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Coast Fever | 36 | 16 | 1.04 | 10 | 2 |
| GIANTS Netball | 34 | 14 | 1.09 | 10 | 1 |
| Queensland Firebirds | 32 | 16 | 1.09 | 8 | 4 |
| NSW Swifts | 32 | 12 | 1.02 | 10 | 3 |
| Melbourne Vixens | 30 | 14 | 1.05 | 8 | 5 |
| Sunshine Coast Lightning | 30 | 18 | 1.02 | 6 | 6 |
| Magpies Netball | 24 | 16 | 1.00 | 4 | 7 |
| Adelaide Thunderbirds | 2 | 2 | 0.75 | 0 | 8 |
Importantly, you can see that halfway through the season, the top four teams are as they would be under the old system. Even more importantly, the top two are the same. The only difference is that under the old system, the Giants would have been in first—naturally this is an advantage, but only a slight one.
I think at this stage of the system, it is safe to say that the new scoring system has not been a failure—as predicted by some vocal commentators and former players. Of course, we need top wait for the end of the season to see how it all pans out, but I’m happy at the moment.
Wrap-up
If you missed my round 7 predictions, here they are.
| Home | Away | Chance of home team winning | Home Score | Away Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne Vixens | West Coast Fever | 40% | 74 | 60 | Melbourne Vixens |
| Adelaide Thunderbirds | Queensland Firebirds | 18% | 42 | 66 | Queensland Firebirds |
| GIANTS Netball | Magpies Netball | 72% | 63 | 60 | GIANTS Netball |
| NSW Swifts | Sunshine Coast Lightning | 32% | 59 | 56 | NSW Swifts |
Team Abilities
Keep an eye out on the Fever; I think that we’re going to see a big from the top of the ladder…
Check out the round 8 predictions here.