Geex Quad Foto

Some interesting analysis of points differentials at the New Zealand Derby Top 10 Champs finals on the New Zealand Roller Derby Players and Officials forum, by the lovely and talented Hellvetica (Caitlin Burns).

She notes that the points differentials were much closer this year than in the past - and indeed moreso than one would expect given the loss of the jammer lap point. Looking a little deeper, she finds 2016 and 2018 had high differentials while 2017 was somewhat lower, but still 2019 has been the tightest tournament yet.

That gels with what's been happening to the table this year, compared to last year. It's got a lot more competitive this year.

Check out these charts which show what the table strengths looked like at the end of September last year and this year:

Alright, a number of corrections this time, so it's worthy of a repost.

Corrected table to the end of September:

# Pts Team
1 909 DED: Death Stars
2 889 PCR: All Scars
3 881 WRDL: Brawl Stars
4 858 RCRD: All Stars
5 851 ARDL: Bolts
6 837 NZMRD
7 819 SCRD: All Stars
8 809 DD: Gallow Lasses
9 807 Northern Gentlemen
10 802 MRD: Salty Rollers
11 799 No City
12 781 BCR: Iron Maidens
13 771 SCSR: Motley Crew
14 770 Vagine Regime
15 745 HRG: Coed
16 741 DED: Living Dead
17 737 Whenua Fatales
18 737 Prime Cuts
19 719 NNRD: Hell's Wives
20 718 WCB: The Squadron
21 714 PCR: Broadside Brawlers
22 707 NBRD: Sirens of Smash
23 689 HRG: Raggedy Angst
24 671 RCRD: Convicts
25 663 TRC: Rumble Bees
26 658 TRD: Derby Dames
27 657 Team Crazy Legs
28 654 Peowhairangi
29 644 River City
30 633 Otautahi
31 632 WCB: Night Witches
32 632 BCR: Twisted Sisters
33 621 NNRD: Night Furyz
34 619 SCRD: Honourable Māreikura
35 617 MRD: Paua Rangers
36 606 DD: Bonnie Brawlers
37 602 Queenstown
38 595 HRG: Hells Belles
39 585 NBRD: Shipwreckers
40 585 KC/DC
41 560 WCB: Stealth Bombers
42 536 Taupo
43 531 Quiet Riot
44 521 RRD: Rebels
45 468 WRD: Valhalla Mafia

Three things have been brought to my attention.

1. OTAUTAHI ROLLER DERBY LEAGUE played away to Richter City Roller Derby's Convicts on that busy second weekend. As so often seems to happen, the Convicts won the game, but Otautahi took rating points as a consolation prize. About 6 and a half points change hands. That's enough to see ORDL jump two places on the table to #30. Convicts slide in their seat at #24. Neither team played again in September, so there is no other effect.

2. Queenstown Roller Derby's game against Timaru Roller Derby was agreed between the leagues to be a "friendly" as Queenstown were short-rostered and bolstered by pool players. That means the Derby Dames don't move at all, staying at #26, while Queenstown's earlier result against Nelson Bays Roller Derby's Shipwreckers sees them up one place, rather than two, to finish at #37. Again, neither team played again in September so the impact stops there.

3. At the end of the month, NBRD's Sirens of Smash were not the hosts of their double-header against Sulphur City Steam Rollers and Moana Roller Derby. The games were played in Tauranga, meaning the Motley Crew game was on neutral ground, and the Salty Rollers game was a home game for MRD. That means Sirens lose 14, rather than 21 rating points against SCSR. The Motleys still gain a place to #13, but rather than snapping at Bay City Rollers' Iron Maidens' heels, they're just a point ahead of Vagine Regime Aotearoa. Being at the end of the month, Sulphur didn't play again, so their story ends there.

For the Sirens on the other hand, there was another game to play. Due to not losing as many points against Sulphur, they went into the Moana game with a stronger rating. On the one hand that meant that Moana's targets were lower, but on the other hand it was a home game for the Salties which shifted the targets back in the opposite direction. Net result: the Salty Rollers still come out ahead to the tune of 16 rating points - still a significant haul, but not the 25 it would have been had the game been played in Nelson.

Like Sulphur, the impact on the Sirens' table position is not affected - they still take a tumble, falling into a broad gap at #22, but they now stay in touch with the teams above, rather than slipping back closer to the teams below. Also like Sulphur, Moana gain a place on the table relative to August, but not the three places reported in the initial posting of the table. They finish at #10 on the table, having passed No City, but Northern Gentlemens Roller Skating Club stay put at #9 and DD - Dunedin Derby slip only one place, behind Swamp City Roller Derby, instead of two, landing in 8th place.

Thanks to everyone who provided corrections. Thanks also to the many people involved in keeping the calendar (reasonably) complete and up to date and to the photographers, league page editors and behind-the-scenes correspondents who by doing their thing every month help me keep on top of the scores.

Hopefully that's it for corrections this month, but if there's still something wrong do please let me know.

Derby

*** THIS TABLE HAS BEEN SUPERSEDED DUE TO A NUMBER OF ERRORS ***
*** PLEASE SCROLL UP THE PAGE TO FIND THE CORRECTED REPOST ***
*** (YOU MAY STILL WANT TO READ THE NARRATIVE HERE FIRST) ***

It's been a month since the last table update (which means I'm late again), so let's have a look at the table to the end of September:

# Pts Team
1 909 DED: Death Stars
2 889 PCR: All Scars
3 881 WRDL: Brawl Stars
4 858 RCRD: All Stars
5 851 ARDL: Bolts
6 837 NZMRD
7 819 SCRD: All Stars
8 812 MRD: Salty Rollers
9 809 DD: Gallow Lasses
10 807 Northern Gentlemen
11 799 No City
12 781 BCR: Iron Maidens
13 778 SCSR: Motley Crew
14 770 Vagine Regime
15 745 HRG: Coed
16 741 DED: Living Dead
17 737 Whenua Fatales
18 737 Prime Cuts
19 719 NNRD: Hell's Wives
20 718 WCB: The Squadron
21 714 PCR: Broadside Brawlers
22 691 NBRD: Sirens of Smash
23 689 HRG: Raggedy Angst
24 677 RCRD: Convicts
25 663 TRC: Rumble Bees
26 657 Team Crazy Legs
27 654 Peowhairangi
28 646 TRD: Derby Dames
29 644 River City
30 632 WCB: Night Witches
31 632 BCR: Twisted Sisters
32 626 Otautahi
33 621 NNRD: Night Furyz
34 619 SCRD: Honourable Māreikura
35 617 MRD: Paua Rangers
36 614 Queenstown
37 606 DD: Bonnie Brawlers
38 595 HRG: Hells Belles
39 585 NBRD: Shipwreckers
40 585 KC/DC
41 560 WCB: Stealth Bombers
42 536 Taupo
43 531 Quiet Riot
44 521 RRD: Rebels
45 468 WRD: Valhalla Mafia

There were some unusual games this month, two of them on the first weekend.

Taranaki Roller Corps hosted a River City Rollers team that was so short-rostered they had to borrow players from their hosts! I considered dropping this to an exhibition game on that basis, but having run the numbers, the result went in the Rumble Bees' favour by just two rating points. It didn't seem fair not to give them that small a benefit from playing a team that needed their help to do even that well, so I've let the result stand. Both teams retain their previous table positions with the Bees at #25 and RCR at #29.

In the South Nelson Bays Roller Derby's Shipwreckers hosted Queenstown Roller Derby. The game was the first competitive roller derby played in Motueka, on the other side of the bay from NBRD's usual bouting venue in Nelson. The visitors took the historic win in a remarkably low-scoring affair for a full-length B-grade game (well done blockers on both sides!). Queenstown took 10 rating points from their hosts. The Shipwreckers slip two places to #39 on the table.

Queenstown played again the following weekend, this time against Timaru Roller Derby's Derby Dames in Dunedin as the undercard to the Gallow Lasses' New Zealand Derby Top 10 Champs with BCR's Iron Maidens. This time it was Timaru who won the game, but again Queenstown took away the rating points, adding another 12 to their haul for the month. They finish up three places to 36th, and the Dames slip two to 28th.

In the headline game DD - Dunedin Derby's Lasses comfortably beat Bay City Rollers's Maidens on the scoreboard, but again it was the underdogs who came out ahead in rating points, with 4 and a bit going to BCR. The Gallow Lasses fall two places to #9.

The Iron Maidens played another game the next day, just up the road against Dead End Derby Christchurch's Death Stars. There was to be no consolation prize this time though as the Death Stars put up a more than 5:1 scoreline and beat the odds to take back two of the rating points BCR had won the day before. The Iron Maidens hold steady at #12.

The Death Stars played again the next weekend, again as hosts, this time to Richter City Roller Derby's All Stars. Again the Death Stars were comfortable winners on the track, but it was the All Stars who outdid the algorithm by a bit over 7 rating points. Both teams retain their previous positions on the table, with RCRD at #4 and DED at #1.

Stepping back to the previous weekend, West Coast Bombers also hosted a double-header. Their own Stealth Bombers faced off against Taupo Roller Derby League - Huka Dolls. The home side took the win and 4 rating points. The two teams remain side-by-side on the table, Stealths in 41st and Huka Dolls in 42nd place.

The other leg of the double-header was a neutral turf friendly game between Whenua Fatales Roller Derby League and a mixed grade Moana Roller Derby team dubbed the Space Invaders. It was a good close game, won by the Invaders. The result has no effect on the Fatales' (or either of Moana's usual teams') ratings, but the Fatales do gain a place on the table due to movements around them. They finish September at #17.

Also on that busy second weekend, Auckland Roller Derby League (ARDL)'s Bolts hosted Pirate City Rollers' All Scars in an Auckland local derby derby. The Pirates came out on top on the scoreboard, but again it was the underdogs who gained rating points. A little more than 2 points went ARDL's way. The Bolts hold on to 5th place.

The All Scars had to travel a bit further the following weekend, meeting Swamp City Roller Derby's All Stars on neutral ground in Wellington. Again the Pirates won the game, but lost rating points to their lower-ranked opponents, with the Swampies collecting 6 points. Both teams hold their previous table positions, with the All Scars at #2 and SCRD's All Stars at #6.

The final weekend of September had just one event (that I'm aware of), with gluttons for punishment NBRD's Sirens of Smash hosting two higher-ranked teams back to back. First up was Sulphur City Steam Rollers' Motley Crew who won their game by a 2:1 margin and looted their hosts of 21 rating points. The second leg saw Moana Roller Derby's Salty Rollers put up an even bigger margin and take away an even bigger haul of rating points - over 25. The Sirens drop 5 places to 22nd on the table, while the Motley Crew gain one to 13th and the Salty Rollers gain three to 8th.

That's all I have for September. As always, comments and corrections are welcome.

It's perhaps just as well that I've been a bit late with the table the last couple of months, as it's unlikely I'll get the October table out much earlier. I'm away for the first week of November and will be without interwebs for much of that time. As usual, there won't be a November table as such, as I'll wait and include December's games in one final end-of-year table.

Derby

Okay, it's a bit tardy this month, but here's the table to the end of August:

# Pts Team
1 914 DED: Death Stars
2 897 PCR: All Scars
3 881 WRDL: Brawl Stars
4 850 RCRD: All Stars
5 848 ARDL: Bolts
6 837 NZMRD
7 813 DD: Gallow Lasses
8 812 SCRD: All Stars
9 807 Northern Gentlemen
10 799 No City
11 786 MRD: Salty Rollers
12 779 BCR: Iron Maidens
13 770 Vagine Regime
14 757 SCSR: Motley Crew
15 745 HRG: Coed
16 741 DED: Living Dead
17 737 NBRD: Sirens of Smash
18 737 Whenua Fatales
19 737 Prime Cuts
20 719 NNRD: Hell's Wives
21 718 WCB: The Squadron
22 714 PCR: Broadside Brawlers
23 689 HRG: Raggedy Angst
24 677 RCRD: Convicts

Minor update to the July table. I am informed that Sulphur City Steam Rollers Motley Crew played both Pirate City Rollers All Scars and Broadside Brawlers early in the month. I had missed the Brawlers game.

As the Brawlers game was played second and neither team involved played another game later in the month, theirs are the only ratings affected.

The Sulphur team won the game, but (perhaps because they were playing for the second time on the same day) didn't quite live up to their rating (as adjusted by their game against the All Scars). The Broadsides come away with four rating points and shift in their seat at #22, while Motley Crew give up another place to Prime Cuts to finish at #15.

Corrected table below:

# Pts Team
1 928 DED: Death Stars
2 907 PCR: All Scars
3 890 WRDL: Brawl Stars
4 864 RCRD: All Stars
5 848 ARDL: Bolts
6 837 NZMRD
7 810 SCRD: All Stars
8 807 Northern Gentlemen
9 799 No City
10 797 BCR: Iron Maidens
11 776 MRD: Salty Rollers
12 770 Vagine Regime
13 755 DD: Gallow Lasses
14 753 Prime Cuts
15 750 SCSR: Motley Crew
16 749 Whenua Fatales
17 745 HRG: Coed
18 742 DED: Living Dead
19 735 NBRD: Sirens of Smash
20 719 NNRD: Hell's Wives
21 718 WCB: The Squadron
22 714 PCR: Broadside Brawlers
23 689 HRG: Raggedy Angst
24 680 RCRD: Convicts
25 661 TRC: Rumble Bees
26 658 TRD: Derby Dames
27 657 Team Crazy Legs
28 654 Peowhairangi
29 640 River City
30 632 WCB: Night Witches
31 629 BCR: Twisted Sisters
32 626 Otautahi
33 622 SCRD: Honourable Māreikura
34 621 NNRD: Night Furyz
35 617 MRD: Paua Rangers
36 606 DD: Bonnie Brawlers
37 595 NBRD: Shipwreckers
38 592 HRG: Hells Belles
39 592 Queenstown
40 591 KC/DC
41 552 WCB: Stealth Bombers
42 540 Taupo
43 535 Quiet Riot
44 521 RRD: Rebels
45 468 WRD: Valhalla Mafia

Anybody got a game planned for tomorrow? I thought not.

In that case, let's have a look at the table as at the end of July:

# Pts Team
1 928 DED: Death Stars
2 907 PCR: All Scars
3 890 WRDL: Brawl Stars
4 864 RCRD: All Stars
5 848 ARDL: Bolts
6 837 NZMRD
7 810 SCRD: All Stars
8 807 Northern Gentlemen
9 799 No City
10 797 BCR: Iron Maidens
11 776 MRD: Salty Rollers
12 770 Vagine Regime
13 755 DD: Gallow Lasses
14 754 SCSR: Motley Crew
15 753 Prime Cuts
16 749 Whenua Fatales
17 745 HRG: Coed
18 742 DED: Living Dead
19 735 NBRD: Sirens of Smash
20 719 NNRD: Hell's Wives
21 718 WCB: The Squadron
22 710 PCR: Broadside Brawlers
23 689 HRG: Raggedy Angst
24 680 RCRD: Convicts
25 661 TRC: Rumble Bees
26 658 TRD: Derby Dames
27 657 Team Crazy Legs
28 654 Peowhairangi
29 640 River City
30 632 WCB: Night Witches
31 629 BCR: Twisted Sisters
32 626 Otautahi
33 622 SCRD: Honourable Māreikura
34 621 NNRD: Night Furyz
35 617 MRD: Paua Rangers
36 606 DD: Bonnie Brawlers
37 595 NBRD: Shipwreckers
38 592 HRG: Hells Belles
39 592 Queenstown
40 591 KC/DC
41 552 WCB: Stealth Bombers
42 540 Taupo
43 535 Quiet Riot
44 521 RRD: Rebels
45 468 WRD: Valhalla Mafia

The month opened as June left off, with Richter City Roller Derby's All Stars dominating on their home track. Bay City Rollers' Iron Maidens conceded a smaller raw points difference than DD - Dunedin Derby's Gallow Lasses the weekend before, but came off worse in terms of score ratios which are what counts when it comes to the ranking algorithm. RCRD claim nearly 22 rating points from BCR and fourth spot on the table from Auckland Roller Derby League (ARDL), while the Iron Maidens slip two places behind last month's debutantes No City and the Northern Gentlemens Roller Skating Club.

Not to be outdone, Pirate City Rollers' All Scars put an even bigger margin on Sulphur City Steam Rollers' Motley Crew the same day (as is to be expected given their relative standings). The Pirates clawed back some of their losses to WRDL last month out of the Steam Rollers, collecting 6 rating points. They still have a way to go to retake the #1 spot from Dead End Derby Christchurch Rollergirls' Death Stars. Meanwhile the Motleys slip one place behind DD's Gallow Lasses.

The following weekend saw the first outing of Remutaka Roller Derby's coed Raptors, the league having opted to split the records of their women's (Rebels) and coed (Raptors) teams. The Raptors faced Team Crazy Legs Aotearoa in what would be considered an exhibition game for a table-ranked league team. As a new team though, any data is better than no data, so the Raptors are benchmarked into the database on the basis of this result. The game itself was an absolute cracker, with a tied full-time score leading to a rare overtime jam. Team Crazy Legs got the better of the overtime jam and took the win. And sadly I couldn't be there to witness this rare occurrence due to winter illness. :-( At least I could relive the game vicariously through the lens of Remutaka Derby Photos Francis Gates.

The same day, Moana Roller Derby hosted Swamp City Roller Derby's All Stars and River City Rollers. On the undercard, River City showed they've been training hard since their last outing late last year. Their comfortable victory over MRD's Paua Rangers garnered them 15 rating points and sees them leap 7 places into the 29th spot held last month by their opponents. The Rangers drop 6 places to #35.

The A game was a close one, with just two points in it at full time, the visiting Swampies taking the narrow win. However it was Moana who got the better of the ratings calculation, with 12 points going their way for the narrow loss as underdogs, despite home track advantage. The Salty Rollers climb past Vagine Regime Aotearoa into the #11 spot.

The Swamp City All Stars went on to play WRDL's Brawl Stars the following day. The Whakatane crew once again lived up to their 3rd place ranking, consolidating that place with another ahead-of-the-odds result to take a further 7 points from SCRD's A team. Despite losing rating points in two games in two days, SCRD All Stars hold onto 7th position, due to BCR's Iron Maidens also slipping this month.

Timaru Roller Derby's Derby Dames hosted Dunedin's Bonnie Brawlers the next weekend. The home side were more than a match for the Bonnies, exceeding the predicted scoreline to the tune of 13 rating points. The Dames climb two places to #26 while the Brawlers slip one to #36.

Three other games were played that weekend, with no impact on the table. Invisible illness awareness squad Team Crazy Legs took on an Auckland mashup team, with proceeds going to Lifeline. Meanwhile in Whanganui The Young Ones played two games against newly minted "Inbetweeners" and "Grim Reapers" teams. As their opposition in each game was brand new, they don't count toward The Young Ones' table qualification, but as an exhibition team I am going to allow it to keep their existing record alive, in keeping with the precedent set for the men's teams.

Last weekend, Remutaka's women's team, the Rebels, crossed Cook Strait to meet Nelson Bays Roller Derby's Shipwreckers. The Shipwreckers took a resounding victory on their home track against the underdog Rebels, recovering their ratings point losses to Timaru last month and then some. They gain a hefty 27 rating points and jump up three places to retake the 37th position they occupied at the end of May, while the Rebels slip a place to #44 behind Quiet Riot.

Finally, Taupo Roller Derby League - Huka Dolls hosted Kapiti Coast Derby Crew in their annual Queen of the Rink home event. KCDC unleashed the kraken in more ways than one, bringing their new logo and branding to the track for the first time and overturning their technical underdog status (due to the Dolls' home track advantage) to take their second ever win. Despite the win and the gain of 19 rating points from the Huka Dolls, the Kapiti team slip a place on the table to #40 due to the Shipwreckers doing even better on the same day. Less than a point now separates KCDC, Queenstown Roller Derby and Hellmilton Roller Ghouls' Hell's Belles. Taupo also slip one place behind West Coast Bombers' Stealth Bombers.

And that, unless I've missed or messed something, is that for another month. As always comments and corrections welcome.

Derby

It was Aqua on Black vs Black on Aqua when Taupo hosted KCDC on Saturday. Taupo put up a good fight, but KCDC took their second ever win (the first was also an away game against Hellmilton's Hell's Belles last year), having stayed in control throughout the game.

It was another fun event, thanks as always to wonderful hosts Taupo Roller Derby, all of the referees, officials, volunteers, supporters and players involved.

A note of thanks to Leslie Havens (Schro Ding Her) for drawing my attention to another closed-door WFTDA clash that had escaped the database.

Remarkably, the game played in May between Pirate City Rollers All Scars and Dead End Derby Christchurch Rollergirls Death Stars ran so close to the predicted outcome that the June table is unchanged. The top three teams' ratings all shift by a fraction of a point, but rounded to the nearest whole point, the table is unaffected.

To put the comment about the top of the table looking more competitive into perspective, here are before and after charts of the table from May and June:

Well, we've passed the halfway point of the year, so it's time to look at the rankings table as at the end of June.

It's been an exciting month...

# Pts Team
1 928 DED: Death Stars
2 901 PCR: All Scars
3 883 WRDL: Brawl Stars
4 848 ARDL: Bolts
5 843 RCRD: All Stars
6 837 NZMRD
7 829 SCRD: All Stars
8 819 BCR: Iron Maidens
9 807 Northern Gentlemen
10 799 No City
11 770 Vagine Regime
12 764 MRD: Salty Rollers
13 760 SCSR: Motley Crew
14 755 DD: Gallow Lasses
15 753 Prime Cuts
16 749 Whenua Fatales
17 745 HRG: Coed
18 742 DED: Living Dead
19 735 NBRD: Sirens of Smash
20 719 NNRD: Hell's Wives
21 718 WCB: The Squadron
22 710 PCR: Broadside Brawlers
23 689 HRG: Raggedy Angst
24 680 RCRD: Convicts
25 661 TRC: Rumble Bees
26 657 Team Crazy Legs
27 654 Peowhairangi
28 645 TRD: Derby Dames
29 642 MRD: Paua Rangers
30 632 WCB: Night Witches
31 629 BCR: Twisted Sisters
32 626 Otautahi
33 622 SCRD: Honourable Māreikura
34 621 NNRD: Night Furyz
35 619 DD: Bonnie Brawlers
36 615 River City
37 592 HRG: Hells Belles
38 592 Queenstown
39 572 KC/DC
40 568 NBRD: Shipwreckers
41 560 Taupo
42 552 WCB: Stealth Bombers
43 548 RRD: Rebels
44 535 Quiet Riot
45 468 WRD: Valhalla Mafia

Yes, that's right, Dead End Derby Christchurch Rollergirls' Death Stars have been thrust back to the top of the table, without even having to strap on their skates, due to Whakatāne Roller Derby League's spectacular upset against Pirate City Rollers. The Brawl Stars' home track win wasn't enough to gain them another place on the table, having just pipped Auckland Roller Derby League (ARDL)'s Bolts for third last month, but it has knocked the All Scars off top spot, solidified the Brawl Stars' claim to third and closed the gap to second considerably. The top of the table looks genuinely competitive for the first time in a long time, instead of one, two and then a big gap to the rest of the table. Congratulations WRDL! Both the Top 10 Champs and the top of the rankings table just got a lot more interesting!

The next big story is that we have another two debutante teams this month, bringing us to 45 teams on the table! At the West Coast Bombers' All Day Derby event, the Northern Gentlemens Roller Skating Club and City Skaters finally strung together the entry criteria to make the table. They enter side by side, with the Gents at #9 and No City right behind them at #10, despite taking the win in their latest encounter. Welcome to the table lads! Their rankings relative to the rest of the table should be taken with a grain of salt, being based on just one game against anyone but each other, a long time ago now. It would be great if the guys could get more games against other teams to put them more securely in their place. (By default, it would count as an exhibition game for women's teams, so it won't affect your own ranking. That's negotiable either way for mixed gender teams too.)

At the same event Bay City Rollers' Iron Maidens played Whenua Fatales Roller Derby League. Despite coming away with a win on neutral ground, the Maidens gave up 15 rating points to the lower-ranked Horowhenua team. BCR slip just one place to 8th, while the Fatales' gains are not enough to prevent them slipping two places with the table below the men's teams. They sit still relative to last month's rankings at #16.

The Bombers' own Night Witches (women) and The Squadron (mixed gender) were also in action at All Day Derby, against Taranaki Roller Corps' Rumble Bees and Hellmilton Roller Ghouls' Coed team respectively.

Despite being ranked below Taranaki going into the game, the Night Witches were favourites to win according to the ranking algorithm, due to home track advantage. The Rumble Bees' win therefore qualifies as an upset, gaining them 7 ranking points from their hosts. The Bees are thus able to fly into the downwind pressure from above to hold onto their place at #25 (a "real terms" gain of 2 places). The Night Witches, despite giving up rating points, also beat the table, slipping just one spot to land at #30.

In similar circumstances, The Squadron also went into their game with the Coed Ghouls as narrow favourites due to home track advantage and similarly the visitors came away with a narrow "upset" win. In HRG Coed's case though, this wasn't enough to keep them from slipping two places with the table, "holding" at 17th, just behind the also gaining Fatales. The Squadron slips 5 places (3 in real terms) to #21.

Hellmilton's Raggedy Angst and Hell's Belles were in action this month too, hosting a double-header with the Belles facing Taupo Roller Derby League - Huka Dolls and Raggedy Angst up against PCR's Broadside Brawlers. Both games went well for Hellmilton on the scoreboard with both home teams racking up victories. It didn't go so well for the Belles on the table though, with 21 rating points going to the lower-ranked Huka Dolls. The Belles drop 2 + 1 places to #37, while Taupo fight the flow of the table to hold onto their 41st position.

Raggedy Angst went into their game as underdogs, despite home track advantage, so their upset win earned them 11 and a half points and a table-beating one place drop to 23rd position. The Broadsides drop four places (2 + 2), sliding to a stop still 21 rating points and one place on the table ahead of their opponents at 22nd.

A few places either side of the newbie men's teams we find Richter City Roller Derby's All Stars and DD - Dunedin Derby's Gallow Lasses, who played a closed-door WFTDA sanctioned game last weekend. That game went very close to prediction, with the underdog Gallow Lasses losing as predicted, but getting the better of the ranking algorithm by just shy of a point. There's no substantive impact on Rankings, with RCRD just shifting in their seat at #5 and DD dropping two places with the table to #14 due to the entry of the men's teams above.

Earlier in the month DD's Bonnie Brawlers took a road trip to visit Queenstown Roller Derby and contest the Southland Sushi Shield. The Brawlers took the predicted win, but Queenstown were able to defend their home track well enough to gain 7 rating points from the encounter. Queenstown slip two places with the table to 38th, missing out on taking 37th from Hellmilton's Hell's Belles by just a quarter point.

The Brawlers were on the road again at the end of the month, travelling to the top of the island to headline against the Sirens of Smash in Nelson Bays Roller Derby's double-header, while the DD A team played just across the strait. The Sirens were much too strong for the Bonnies away from home for the second time in a month. The home team taxed the visitors 18 rating points before sending them on their way. The Sirens hold 19th place against the flow of traffic, while the Bonnies slip 8 places (6 due to their two negative results and two more for the men's teams) and wind up in 35th.

On undercard at that event, Nelson's Shipwreckers took on Timaru Roller Derby. This game went against the home side, with the higher-ranked Dames doubling up on the scoreboard and taking home nearly 13 rating points for beating the spread. Timaru are up 3 places on a table headed in the other direction, finishing at #28, while the Shipwreckers slip a total of three places (giving up relative position to Kapiti Coast Derby Collective) and land at #40.

On the undercard of their own A-B double-header, Swamp City Roller Derby's Honourable Māreikura, who have been exceeding expectations all year finally met their match in Northland Nightmares Roller Derby's Night Furyz. The underdog Furyz beat the previously storming Māreikura by a comfortable margin, taking home 31 rating points. Nga Māreikura slip 7 places (5 + 2), pitching up at #33, still one place and one rating point ahead of the Furyz, who are up a place against the tide at #32.

In the headline game, SCRD's All Stars gave up three rating points to Northland's Hell's Wives, despite beating the visitors. The All Stars gain one place anyway, taking 7th from BCR's Iron Maidens due to slipping more slowly. Northland hold 20th place on the table, despite the men entering above them.

Finally, Sulphur City Steam Rollers hosted their annual Slam Rock event, this time against Dead End's Living Dead Rollers Roller Derby. SCSR's Motley Crew took a convincing win, even though they went into the event as underdogs on their home track. They claimed the month's biggest haul of 35 rating points from LDR, moving 4 places against the flow into 13th place. The Living Dead slip 9 places (7 + 2) to finish at 18th.

And that's it for June. As always comments and corrections welcome.

Derby