THE rebel VFLW season is halfway through and we are no closer to knowing who the best teams are in what is shaping up as the closest and most exciting season in the competition’s seven-season history.

Just one win separates ladder-leader Geelong from eighth-placed North Melbourne, two teams that have already played twice this season for margins of nine points (to the Kangaroos) and six points (to the Cats).

Meanwhile, ninth-placed Williamstown, 10^th-placed Casey Demons and even the 11^th-placed Western Bulldogs are capable of turning over almost anybody on their day.

Let’s look at how the teams have fared in the first half of the season and try to predict how things will unfold in the second half.

*Scores are goals.behinds; Stat averages are from a minimum of four games

(1^st, 5-2, 186.51%)

RESULTS: lost NM 9; def CAR 1; def DAR 76; def SS 10; def WB 28; def NM 6; lost COL 3

TO COME: DAR (La Trobe); ESS (Hangar); PM (Deakin); CAS (Deakin); BOX (Deakin); COL (AIA); WIL (DSV)

SCORES: Olivia Cicolini 7.4, Sachi Di Giacomi 7.4, Cheryl De Groot 3.2, Analea McKee 3.2, Sophie O’Dea 3.2, Charlotte Simpson 3.2

DISPOSALS: Charlotte Simpson 22.4, Renee Garing 18.2, Abbey McDonald 15.0

MARKS: Abbey McDonald 3.4, Analea McKee 3.4, Emily Ramsay 3.1

TACKLES: Renee Garing 11.3, Charlotte Simpson 5.1, Danielle Stewart 5.0

HITOUTS: Kalani Scoullar 28.5, Analea McKee 10.3, Sarah Perrott 1.5

BEST WIN: Geelong 3.10 (28) def North Melbourne 3.4 (22), Round 6, Arden St: The Cats lost at home to the Kangaroos in Round 1 but gained their revenge and a fifth consecutive win when Olivia Cicolini kicked a goal on the siren to get them over the line by that margin.

WORST LOSS: Geelong 3.2 (20) lost to North Melbourne 4.5 (29), Round 1, Deakin University): Surprisingly the Cats’ only two defeats have been at home, and by close margins, so we have to pick the biggest one of the two when they went in as favourites but fell short.

SUMMARY: A wonderful first half of the season only blighted by two narrow home losses as Simpson dominates in the midfield, Scoullar winning the ruck, Garing tackling herself crazy and plenty of avenues to goal. Five consecutive wins has the Cats in pole position ahead of a challenging run of five matches from Rounds 9-13 that will shape their season.

PREDICTION: 10-4 (3^rd)

(2^nd, 5-2, 137.89%)

RESULTS: lost CAR 24; def COL 37; def WIL 6; def WB 3; def BOX 26; def CAR 15; lost NM 2

TO COME: SS (Trevor Barker); WIL (ETU); GEE (Deakin); WB (ETU); DAR (La Trobe); ESS (ETU); CAS (Casey)

SCORES: Amelia Peck 5.4, Stella Reid 5.3, Steph Williams 4.3

DISPOSALS: Lauren Caruso 16.1, Kaitlyn O’Keefe 14.7, Olivia Barton 13.9

MARKS: Amelia Peck 3.8, Taylah Watson 3.5, Olivia Barton 3.0

TACKLES: Lauren Caruso 8.7, Stella Reid 8.4, Kaitlyn O’Keefe 8.3

HITOUTS: Kate Dudley 28.7, Beth Wilson 14.2, Amelia Peck 1.0

BEST WIN: Port Melbourne 9.2 (56) def Box Hill Hawks 4.6 (30), ETU Stadium, Round 5: VFLW football took centre stage as the only game on Friday night footy and the Borough held firm when outplayed early before running away with a convincing win over a premiership contender.

WORST LOSS: Port Melbourne 2.8 (20) lost to Carlton 6.8 (44), ETU Stadium, Round 1: The Round 7 defeat in horrible conditions comes with excuses, so they would be most disappointed with being brushed aside by the Blues in the season opener.

SUMMARY: A disappointing defeat first-up gave no sign of things to come with five straight wins including the scalps of Collingwood, Box Hill and their Round 1 conqueror Carlton. Forget last week’s game in near impossible conditions, the Borough has bounced back from an underwhelming 2022 in style, led by a strong forward line that doesn’t feature last year’s two league leading goalkickers in its top three. Should play finals, but the fixture isn’t the easiest.

PREDICTION: 8-6 (5^th)

(3^rd, 5-2, 115.46%)

RESULTS: def WIL 15; lost PM 37; def CAS 17; def BOX 24; lost ESS 16; def DAR 26; def GEE 3

TO COME: NM (AIA); SS (VP); WB (ETU); DAR (PCO); CAR (AIA); GEE (AIA); NM (Arden)

SCORES: Monique De Matteo 7.8, Nyakoat Dojiok 6.6, Eleri Morris 4.3

DISPOSALS: Jess Bates 26.7, Matilda Zander 17.0, Elizabeth Jackson 15.7

MARKS: Eleri Morris 5.3, Nyakoat Dojiok 3.0, Jess Bates 2.7, Jazmin Tweddle-O’Donnell 2.7

TACKLES: Jess Bates 11.1, Caitlin Bunker 7.5, Imogen Evans 7.0

HITOUTS: Sarah King 18.9, Rene Caris 14.6, Jazmin Tweddle-O’Donnell 1.2

BEST WIN: Collingwood 7.3 (45) def Box Hill Hawks 3.3 (21), Box Hill City Oval, Round 4: The Hawks were undefeated, playing on their home deck and coming off a big win over Southern Saints, but were outlasted by the Magpies, who kicked four goals to one in the last quarter.

WORST LOSS: Collingwood 3.2 (20) lost to Port Melbourne 9.3 (57), ETU Stadium, Round 2: A fighting first-round win was put firmly in the rearview mirror as the Borough ambushed the Magpies with four unanswered SCORES in the first half and never looked back.

SUMMARY: The Magpies are sitting pretty, finding ways to win despite their form being a little up and down. Jess Bates is the best player in the competition at the moment and their performances against Box Hill and Geelong suggest they can beat anyone. They tackle hard, win more of the ball than most and have multiple goalscoring options. Will start favourite in almost all their remaining games.

PREDICTION: 12-2 (1^st)

(4^th, 4-2-1, 118.96%)

RESULTS: drew ESS; def WB 1; def SS 29; lost COL 24; lost PM 26; def CAS 33; def DAR 27

TO COME: ESS (BHCO); CAR (BHCO); NM (Arden); WIL (BHCO); GEE (Deakin); CAS (Casey); SS (BHCO)

SCORES: Sophie Locke 6.3, Maddie Boyd 5.5, Mietta Kendall 4.5

DISPOSALS: Jordan Mifsud 18.8, Maddie Boyd 17.0, Matilda van Berkel 16.2

MARKS: Maddie Boyd 6.2, Nadia von Bertouch 4.4, Nic Garner 3.0, Sophie Locke 3.0

TACKLES: Jordan Mifsud 8.5, Tamara Smith 7.8, Grace McRae 5.3

HITOUTS: Grace Matser 25.0, Maddie Boyd 13.8, Nic Garner 0.2

BEST WIN: Box Hill Hawks 8.6 (54) def Southern Saints 4.1 (25), RSEA Park, Round 3: A first chance to gain a modicum of revenge for being tipped out of the finals in straight sets last year. And after a tight first quarter the Hawks dominated, kicking 6.5 to 2.0 for a comprehensive win to remain unbeaten.

WORST LOSS: Box Hill Hawks 3.3 (21) lost to Collingwood 7.3 (45), Box Hill City Oval, Round 4: At home, undefeated and full of confidence, the Hawks were ambushed by the Magpies, failing to kick a goal until the seventh minute of the third quarter. Got back within a kick by the last change but couldn’t go on with it.

SUMMARY: Up and down like a yoyo, even more so than Collingwood. A couple of convincing losses were flanked by a couple of powerful wins and a potential top two berth beckons if they can get past Essendon this weekend. Boyd is the recruit of the season, Mifsud is a star and Matser is giving her team first use in the ruck. The two long trips in Rounds 12-13 will shape their destiny.

PREDICTION: 10-3-1 (2^nd)

(5^th, 4-2-1, 81.48%)

RESULTS: drew BOX; lost SS 25; lost CAR 54; def CAS 2; def COL 16; def WIL 9; def SS 12

TO COME: BOX (BHCO); GEE (Hangar); DAR (La Trobe); NM (Hangar); CAS (Casey); PM (ETU); WB (Hangar)

SCORES: Paige Scott 4.3, Grace Dicker 3.3, Maddi Wilson 3.2

DISPOSALS: Alana Barba 17.8, Joanne Doonan 17.5, Courtney Ugle 14.6

MARKS: Eloise Chaston 3.3, Sophie Molan 3.3, Courtney Ugle 3.0

TACKLES: Grace Dicker 9.9, Alana Barba 7.0, Renee Tierney 5.5

HITOUTS: Megan Ryan 15.6, Eloise Chaston 1.8, Manaia Huta 0.3, Sophie Molan 0.3

BEST WIN: Essendon 4.13 (37) def Casey Demons 5.5 (35), NEC Hangar, Round 4: Undefeated reigning premier to winless after three rounds, the dreaded words “premiership hangover” were on the tip of the tongue. While the kicking for goal was dreadful, the Bombers hung on against a fast-finishing opponent and have since strung together four straight wins.

WORST LOSS: Essendon 2.2 (14) lost to Carlton 10.8 (68), NEC Hangar, Round 3: The Blues led by 18 points at three quarter-time but nobody could have predicted what would happen next. The Bombers conceded seven SCORES to one in the last quarter to take a percentage hit they still haven’t recovered from.

SUMMARY: Took a while to put the Ferrari into gear and it is still not roaring at full power, despite four consecutive wins. That loss to Carlton sounded alarm bells but they have found a way since to get things back on track. The Bombers don’t appear to have the depth of last year, but when they put close to their best team on the park they will be more than a handful for anyone.

PREDICTION: 9-4-1 (4^th)

(6^th, 4-3, 148.52%)

RESULTS: def PM 24; lost GEE 1; def ESS 54; def NM 35; lost WIL 35; lost PM 15; def CAS 20

TO COME: WB (Ikon); BOX (BHCO); WIL (DSV); SS (Ikon); COL (AIA); WB (ETU); DAR (Ikon)

SCORES: Mia Cowan 8.6, Ashlee Thorneycroft 4.4, Eliza Wood 4.1

DISPOSALS: Maddie Di Cosmo 22.7, Millie Klingbeil 19.0, Thorneycroft 17.1

MARKS: Octavia Di Donato 3.6, Eliza Wood 3.2, Ally Bild 3.0, Mia Cowan 3.0, Paige Trudgeon 3.0

TACKLES: Maddie Di Cosmo 9.0, Ashlee Thorneycroft 8.1, Chloe Bain 5.2

HITOUTS: Emily Hurley 21.4, Chloe Bain 7.4, Mia Cowan 0.7

BEST WIN: Carlton 10.8 (68) def Essendon 2.2 (14), NEC Hangar, Round 3: Facing the reigning premiers on their home ground, the Blues eked out a handy lead by the final change before producing the single most devastating quarter of the season with seven goals to one.

WORST LOSS: Carlton 1.4 (10) lost to Williamstown 7.3 (45), Ikon Park, Round 5: Equally as surprising was this result. Going in on top of the ladder against the 11^th-placed Seagulls, the Blues were expected to continue on their merry way. But they were never in it, kicking just one goal for the day to hand their advantage back.

SUMMARY: Not sure what to make of the Blues, who showed what they are capable of in that last quarter avalanche against Essendon, but also showed vulnerability in crashing to Williamstown. Probably should have one more win on the board at this stage, but with a friendly draw they are a good chance to play finals for the first time.

PREDICTION: 8-6 (6^th)

(7^th, 4-3, 132.93%)

RESULTS: def DAR 33; def ESS 25; lost BOX 29; lost GEE 10; def CAS 42; def WB 5; lost ESS 12

TO COME: PM (Trevor Barker); COL (VP); CAS (RSEA); CAR (Ikon); NM (Arden); WIL (RSEA); BOX (BHCO)

SCORES: Lucy Burke 8.7, Gabriella De Angelis 5.6, Sera Kaukiono 4.0

DISPOSALS: Tessa Boyd 19.9, Gabriella De Angelis 17.7, Winnie Laing 17.1

MARKS: Tessa Boyd 3.6, Lucy Burke 3.1, Gabriella De Angelis 3.0, Georgia Foran 3.0, Tayla Kearns 3.0

TACKLES: Jemma Wrigley 6.7, Grace Hodder 6.2, Winnie Laing 5.9

HITOUTS: Margaret Kershaw 15.2, Sarah Black 15.0, Alexandra Hynes 6.2

BEST WIN: Southern Saints 6.6 (42) def Essendon 2.5 (17), Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval, Round 2: A goalless Grand Final could mentally affect the strongest of characters, but the Saints harnessed that disappointment the right way and dismantled the Bombers at their first opportunity, completing their own shutout after quarter-time.

WORST LOSS: Southern Saints 4.1 (25) lost to Box Hill Hawks 8.6 (54), RSEA Park, Round 3: Having exorcised those demons above, the Saints suffered a disappointing letdown, going scoreless in two quarters as they fell convincingly to the team they knocked out in the first semi-final the previous year.

SUMMARY: Capable of backing up last year’s Grand Final berth, as shown in their win over the Bombers in Round 3, but there remains question marks over whether they can do it week-in-week-out for long enough to give themselves a chance. It is a tricky but not impossible second half of the season for the Saints.

PREDICTION: 8-6 (7^th)

(8^th, 4-3, 90.00%)

RESULTS: def GEE 9; def WIL 11; lost WB 39; lost CAR 35; def DAR 38; lost GEE 6; def PM 2

TO COME: COL (AIA); CAS (CAS); BOX (Arden); ESS (Hangar); SS (Arden); DAR (Arden); COL (Arden)

SCORES: Emily Paterno 6.6, Jess Mourney 4.2, Audrey Rhodes 3.2

DISPOSALS: Annabel Scott 19.1, Audrey Rhodes 18.4, Taylah Gatt 16.6, Reni Hicks 16.6

MARKS: Cassidy Mailer 2.8, Annabel Scott 2.4, Dalia Edward 2.3

TACKLES: Mardi Klaumanns-Moller 6.1, Zara Flanagan 5.9, Audrey Rhodes 5.9

HITOUTS: Jess Jones 20.4, Zara Flanagan 9.1, Emily Paterno 0.4

BEST WIN: North Melbourne 4.5 (29) def Geelong 3.2 (20), Deakin University, Round 1: The Kangaroos’ bid for a first VFLW finals appearance started in the best possible way with an impressive away win against a 2022 finalist. The fact the Cats won their next five games just adds to that achievement.

WORST LOSS: North Melbourne 2.3 (15) lost to Western Bulldogs 8.6 (54), ETU Stadium, Round 3: Undefeated after two games, the Kangaroos were redhot favourites against a team that had lost 16 matches in a row. But the Bulldogs produced a stunning four-goal first quarter and never looked back.

SUMMARY: The Kangaroos have got through the first half of the season in good shape and close enough to press for a first finals berth if they are good enough. The win in Geelong was quality, but they gave it back in Round 6, while they showed their mettle in the wet weather slog against the Borough. That loss to the Bulldogs could prove costly in the end.

PREDICTION: 5-9 (10^th)

(9^th, 3-4, 111.17%)

RESULTS: lost COL 15; lost NM 11; lost PM 6; def DAR 22; def CAR 35; lost ESS 9; def WB 5

TO COME: CAS (DSV); PM (ETU); CAR (DSV); BOX (BHCO); WB (DSV); SS (RSEA); GEE (DSV)

SCORES: Sarah Cameron 8.3, Sharnie Whiting 7.3, Teagan Brett 5.8

DISPOSALS: Sharnie Whiting 16.6, Jasmine Kawa 16.3, Perri King 15.0

MARKS: Sarah Cameron 3.6, Jasmine Kawa 2.9, Sharnie Whiting 2.7

TACKLES: Maddie Edwards 6.3, Brittney Gray 6.3, Eliza Straford 5.0

HITOUTS: Jasmine Kawa 3.7, Lori Stepnell 3.1

BEST WIN: Williamstown 7.3 (45) def Carlton 1.4 (10), Ikon Park, Round 5: The Seagulls broke through in Round 4 but nobody could have predicted this. 11^th holding first goalless in the first half and to just one major for the game? Could this be the day Williamstown finally arrived as a VFLW club?

WORST LOSS: Williamstown 2.1 (13) lost to Collingwood 3.10 (28), Victoria Park, Round 1: After an undefeated pre-season campaign, the Seagulls jumped the Magpies with 2.1 to 0.0 in the first quarter. But they didn’t score again, falling by 15 points and going to drop their first three games.

SUMMARY: A poor start has left them chasing their tail feathers but they remain in contention due to three wins in their past four weeks and a healthy percentage. A big win over Carlton and pushing Essendon all the way shows how far they have come from last year. While finals may be a little beyond them this year, the building blocks are being laid.

PREDICTION: 5-9 (9^th)

(10^th, 2-5, 108.06%)

RESULTS: def WB 14; def DAR 122; lost COL 17; lost ESS 2; lost SS 42; lost BOX 33; lost CAR 20

TO COME: WIL (DSV); NM (Casey); SS (RSEA); GEE (Deakin); ESS (Casey); BOX (Casey); PM (Casey)

SCORES: Ciara Burke 7.1, Megan Fitzsimon 5.4, Niamh O’Neill 4.5

DISPOSALS: Sinead Goldrick 24.0, Shree Fairchild 13.0, Bianca Woolcock 12.6

MARKS: Ally Kirkwood 3.3, Georgia Gall 2.6, Maeve Chaplin 2.5, Sinead Goldrick 2.5

TACKLES: Shree Fairchild 9.0, Marla Neal 5.9, Sinead Goldrick 5.0

HITOUTS: Leah Swain 28.2, Teagan Williams 8.3, Georgia Gall 0.8

BEST WIN: Casey Demons 19.16 (130) def Darebin 1.2 (8), Casey Fields, Round 2: The Demons were absolutely flying against an undermanned Falcons outfit, kicking the highest VFLW score and recording the biggest winning margin since 2017. Who would have guessed what was to come?

WORST LOSS: Casey Demons 3.7 (25) lost to Collingwood 6.6 (42), Casey Fields, Round 3: Just a week after the Darebin demolition, the Demons were back on the same ground but it was a totally different performance as they were blown away early by Collingwood. They still haven’t recovered, having now lost five games in a row.

SUMMARY: What has happened to the Demons? Broke all their records in their destruction of Darebin in Round 2 but have been very ordinary since, with the only game they were close in coming because the Bombers kicked 4.13. It shows the value of being able to get your best team on the park. If that changes they can still make waves, but the season is fast slipping away.

PREDICTION: 6-8 (8^th)

(11^th, 1-6, 93.03%)

RESULTS: lost CAS 14; lost BOX 1; def NM 39; lost PM 3; lost GEE 28; lost SS 5; lost WIL 5

TO COME: CAR (Ikon); DAR (ETU); COL (ETU); PM (ETU); WIL (DSV); CAR (ETU); ESS (Hangar)

SCORES: Imahra Cameron 7.4, Mali McLeod 6.0, Dom Carbone 4.4

DISPOSALS: Tahlia Meier 20.7, Sarah Skinner 19.7, Dom Carbone 16.6

MARKS: Brianna McFarlane 3.7, Tahlia Meier 3.6, Mary Sandral 3.3

TACKLES: Jaimi Tabb 9.2, Sarah Skinner 5.9, Amanda Ling 5.6

HITOUTS: Jorja Borg 30.4, Brianna McFarlane 5.7, Isabella Robson 3.3

BEST WIN: Western Bulldogs 8.6 (54) def North Melbourne 2.3 (15), ETU Stadium, Round 3: What a day! Having lost 16 games in a row since Round 14, 2021, the Bulldogs had a near miss the week before but there was no denying them this time as they booted 4.3 to 0.1 in the first term and charged to a memorable triumph.

WORST LOSS: Western Bulldogs 2.3 (15) lost to Geelong 6.7 (43), Deakin University, Round 5: Given four of their six losses have been by less than a goal, it’s hard to find a bad one. The biggest margin was this one, where they were jumped (3.1-0.0) in the opening term before being competitive for the rest of the day.

SUMMARY: The Bulldogs have come so far since last season it isn’t funny and but for a bit of luck could even be sitting in the top six. Four losses by less than a goal shows how close they are, while that memorable drought-breaker against North Melbourne gave them the validation that things are on the right track. If they can finish with three wins it will be a massive stepping stone for next year.

PREDICTION: 2-12 (11^th)

(12^th, 0-7, 23.21%)

RESULTS: lost SS 33; lost CAS 122; lost GEE 76; lost WIL 22; lost NM 38; lost COL 26; lost BOX 27

TO COME: GEE (La Trobe); WB (ETU); ESS (La Trobe); COL (Genis); PM (La Trobe); NM (Arden); CAR (Ikon)

SCORES: Alyssa Mifsud 9.7, Sabine Cowley du Parquet 2.1, Angelica Gogos, Zoe Larkins, Piper Louey, Emma Mackay 1.1

DISPOSALS: Angelica Gogos 17.0, Karly McNiece 12.4, Steph Simpson 12.0

MARKS: Sabine Cowley du Parquet 1.9, Millie Shone 1.9, Bec Goring 1.8, Steph Simpson 1.8

TACKLES: Angelica Gogos 8.6, Zoe Larkins 6.1, Mikayla Plunkett 5.9

HITOUTS: Shannon Egan 22.9, Sally Lynch 18.6, Simone Ruedin 0.5

BEST PERFORMANCE: Darebin 5.3 (33) lost to Collingwood 8.11 (59), Victoria Park, Round 6: No wins to speak about yet for the rebuilding Falcons, but they should be proud of this effort, where they won the second half against a top-three team, especially their 4.0 to 2.2 final term.

WORST LOSS: Darebin 1.2 (8) lost to Casey Demons 19.16 (130), Casey Fields, Round 2: Given what has happened since, with the Demons losing five games in a row, conceding the biggest score and biggest losing margin since their own glory days finished in 2017 would rankle a bit.

SUMMARY: Unfortunately it’s a rebuilding year for the Falcons and it would be marvellous to see some more of their former stars head back to where they started to finish their careers to help keep them doing what they do best, which is developing talent and providing a pathway from Auskick to the top. Green shoots in the last quarter against Collingwood, let’s see more of that.

PREDICTION: 0-14 (12^th)