THE Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) has returned for the second half of the competition, with all 11 teams set to play out the remainder of the season in London at the Copper Box Arena. Already plenty of enticing results have livened up the table across the round, with the mid-table logjam looking even more intriguing as the season rolls on. In this new series, each week Draft Central will compare the most recent ladders given how quickly things can change, and delve into how each round of fixturing can change up positions based on the amount of matches each side has played.  

ROUND 10/11 LADDER

1. Team Bath (10-1)
2. Loughborough Lightning (9-2)
3. Manchester Thunder (9-2)
4. Wasps Netball (8-2-1)
5. Saracens Mavericks (7-3-1)
6. Leeds Rhinos (5-6)
7. Strathclyde Sirens (4-5-2)
8. London Pulse (2-9)
9. Surrey Storm (2-8)
10. Severn Stars (2-9)
11. Celtic Dragons (0-11)

ROUND 12 LADDER

1. Team Bath (11-1)
2. Loughborough Lightning (10-2)
3. Wasps Netball (9-2-1)
4. Manchester Thunder (9-2)
5. Saracens Mavericks (7-4-1)
6. Leeds Rhinos (6-6)
7. Strathclyde Sirens (5-5-2)
8. London Pulse (3-9)
9. Surrey Storm (2-9)
10. Severn Stars (2-11)
11. Celtic Dragons (0-12)

The second half of the season started with a bang, not a whimper, over the weekend, with plenty of intriguing results only leading to the one major ladder change heading into another big double round of action this weekend. Team Bath will still be feeling safe but not quite secure in top spot, still followed very closely by Loughborough Lightning who are hot on their tail and just one win behind the blue and gold outfit. Bath had a shaky start to their Round 12 encounter but proved their class and determination to chase down another excellent win on Sunday, while Lightning continue to showcase their dash and dare week in, week out. The only significant change of the week came in the third and fourth positions, though it was purely a bye for Manchester Thunder that saw Wasps slot into third this round following another excellent win on the board. The Wasps may have had an unsure start to the season but have more than proved they are capable of testing any team this season, while Manchester are in a position to continue their winning run next round and continue to put pressure on not only the Wasps, but so too the ladder leaders in Bath and Lightning who realistically are not that far off. Heading into that aforementioned mid-table logjam, and the Saracens Mavericks remain in fifth ahead of Leeds Rhinos by just the slimmest of margins following a hefty loss to the Rhinos on the weekend. It is still the Mavericks’ close shave – a draw with Strathclyde Sirens – that keeps them in the hunt in fifth but with the form they showed this week, it may only be a matter of time before they are well and truly overcome by the Rhinos’ stampede. Hot on the Rhinos and Mavericks’ tails is the Sirens, with the Scottish side faring better from another win on the weekend for a reasonable 5-5-2 record for the season. That is nothing to frown at after a couple of years labouring toward the bottom of the ladder, with eighth placed London Pulse raising their stakes this round with a win over fellow bottom side Surrey Storm, who sit in ninth, while the Severn Stars may have been bolstered through the midcourt but failed to collect wins from their two outings during Round 12. Despite an impressive first half effort against Bath, the Dragons were unable to get a winning result on the board for the 12th straight outing. The league will play yet another double round this weekend, with another 10 outings across Round 13/14. It will be a repeat of Round 2 and 3’s proceedings with plenty of enticing matchups expected that could well and truly shake up the ladder – especially the middle third of the table which has plenty to prove and everything to gain on the top sides.

ROUND 10/11 COVERAGE

Friday/Saturday wraps // Sunday/Monday wraps Stats: Round 10/11

ROUND 12 COVERAGE

Sunday wrap // Monday wrap Stats: Round 12

– Past ladder updates: Round 3 // Round 4 // Round 5/6 // Round 7 // Round 8 // Round 9 // Round 10/11