Round by round
Each team's margin in each Stage 1 game, as a share of the points scored in that game. Wins are coloured by band; losses are shown in grey. Teams are listed in their Stage 1 division, strongest first.
Every game
All Stage 1 games, with the winning margin and its band.
| Round | Div | Winner | Loser | Score | Margin | Band |
|---|
Average Stage 1 margin, every team
Average share-of-points margin across each team's scored games. Past +25% points to a higher division, past −25% to a lower one. Grouped by Stage 1 division.
Team table
The same figures as a table, with a cross-check. Adjusted for opponents adds each opponent's own rating to the margin against them: a team's rating is how far above or below the division average it performed (0% = average for that Stage 1 division), so a stronger opponent is one rated above 0% and a weaker opponent one rated below. A 20% win over a team rated −15% counts as +5%; a 10% loss to a team rated +25% counts as +15%. Placements use the plain average; the adjusted figure is a second look, and with three games it can swing on one result. See How we decide for the full method.
| Team | Stage 1 | W–L | Scored games | Avg margin | Adjusted for opponents | Signal | Stage 2 |
|---|
The formula
The measure used in the Winter 2026 Season Review, so seasons compare directly.
Margin = winning margin ÷ total points scored in the game. A 64–31 game is 33 ÷ 95 = 35%. Measuring the margin as a share of points lets low- and high-scoring games be judged on the same footing: 100–45 is 38%, while 55–0 is 100%, though both are 55-point wins.
| Band | Margin | In plain terms |
|---|---|---|
| Close | under 20% | Winner scored less than 1.5 times the loser |
| Clear win | 20% to under 33% | Up to 2 to 1 |
| Major blowout | 33% to under 50% | 2 to 1 up to 3 to 1 |
| Rout | 50% and over | Winner scored three times the loser or more |
Team strength is the average of a team's signed margins (positive for wins, negative for losses) across its scored Stage 1 games. A team averaging +25% or better is flagged to look up a division; −25% or worse, to look down. Forfeits count as a win or loss but are left out of margins, because there is no real score.
Adjusted for opponents (cross-check). The plain average treats a win over the bottom team the same as a win over the top team. The adjusted figure corrects for that, and is shown on the Team strength tab beside the plain average.
What makes an opponent stronger or weaker. Every team in a Stage 1 division gets a rating: how far above or below the division average it performed, measured with the same share-of-points margins. The division average is set at 0%. An opponent rated above 0% is stronger than average; one rated below 0% is weaker. Ratings come only from results, not from team lists, club or last season.
How a game is credited. Each game counts as the team's margin plus the opponent's rating, and a team's adjusted figure is the average of its games:
| Example | Margin | Opponent's rating | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Win over a weaker team | +20% | −15% | +5% |
| Win over a stronger team | +20% | +15% | +35% |
| Loss to a much stronger team | −10% | +25% | +15% |
| Loss to a weaker team | −10% | −15% | −25% |
Because each team's rating depends on its opponents' ratings, all ratings in the division are worked out together, recalculating until they stop changing, then re-centred so the division average stays at 0%. Forfeits are left out. The figure only compares teams within the same Stage 1 division, and with three games per team one result can move it a long way, so it is a cross-check, not the basis for placement.
From flags to divisions. Flags are a starting point, not an automatic move. Divisions are set by ranking teams on strength, moving the fewest teams needed, keeping every division at six teams or more, and avoiding a jump of two divisions on three games.
Rules applied before any results
Two Playing Conditions rules are applied first and override the results-based method: every division keeps at least six teams (Section 4.6), and a team that includes a Tier 1 or Tier 2 representative player must play in Division 1, or a Tier 3 player in Division 2 or higher (Section 6.5). A team covered by Section 6.5 is not regraded below that division, at the end of Stage 1 or at any Stage 2 review.
How sure we are, and how close teams are separated
These rules were set before any placement was made and are applied the same way in every age group.
Three checks on every move. Each team recommended to move is compared with every other team in its Stage 1 division that is not moving the same way, not just the next team on average margin. A move is a Clear call only if no team is level with it and, against the closest team, all of these hold:
| Check | Passes when |
|---|---|
| 1. Separation | The two teams' average margins are at least 10 points apart. With three games, smaller gaps are within normal game-to-game variation, so the teams are treated as level. |
| 2. One game can't flip it | Removing any single game from the moving team's results still leaves it on the same side of the other team. |
| 3. Other measures agree | The moving team is also ahead (or behind, for a move down) on points per game and on the adjusted-for-opponents figure. |
A team is level with the moving team if they are within 10 points, if removing one game changes their order, or if the head-to-head result went the other way. Any level team is a rival. The move is a Close call, and the moving team must win the tie-break below against each rival. The other team is marked Next in line (or Close to the line) and is the first considered at each Stage 2 review.
Tie-break, in order. The first step that separates the teams decides:
| Step | Separates the teams when |
|---|---|
| 1. Head-to-head | They played each other: the winner ranks higher. |
| 2. Common opponents | They played the same other teams: the better average margin against those teams ranks higher. |
| 3. Adjusted for opponents | The higher adjusted figure ranks higher. |
| 4. More evidence | The team with more scored games ranks higher. |
These checks are worked out automatically from the results shown on this page, so anyone can verify them.
Where this sits in the season
The Playing Conditions being applied
WBA Junior Domestic Playing Conditions, Version 1.9.3, October 2026.
Section 4.6 · Stage 1 — GradeTeams play one regular game per round. Results are used to assess team strength only and do not count toward the ladder. No team moves division during Stage 1. At the conclusion of Stage 1, Association Operations establishes preliminary divisions based on observed team strength.
Section 4.6 · NominationClubs nominate the division for each team before the season. Association Operations does not pre-assign divisions and intervenes only where numbers require it — a minimum six (6) team division floor applies — or to resolve uneven pools. Where a club enters two or more teams in one age group, players must be distributed as evenly as practical across those teams by the end of Stage 1.
Section 4.6 · Stage 2 — ValidateThe official ladder begins. Association Operations reviews grading after each round and may regrade a team that is clearly misgraded, maintaining the six (6) team floor. The grading rule modifications in Section 4.6b continue to apply during Stage 2. Divisions lock at the completion of Round 6.
Section 4.6 · Stage 3 — SeasonDivisions are locked and no further grading adjustments are made. Every result counts toward the ladder and finals eligibility applies.
Section 4.6a · Ladder Reset and RegradingStage 1 results do not count toward the ladder. The official ladder commences at Round 4 (Stage 2) and carries through to the end of the season. A team regraded by decision of Association Operations during Stage 2 moves to its new division with zero (0) games played and zero percentage. Results of games played against that team in its previous division are recorded as abandoned. No team may be regraded after the completion of Round 6.
Against last winter
This age group's Stage 1 games beside the Winter 2026 Season Review figures for the same measure.
| Measure | Stage 1, this season | Winter 2026 |
|---|
Club comments
Comments from clubs about this age group's results and divisions. They appear straight away and stay visible to everyone. Keep them to teams and grading: no player names, no links, and be respectful. Association Operations may remove any comment. Formal appeals go through the WBA complaints process (Section 11), not here.