Hot and cold: Where your Hampden club is firing, fading in 2021

Almost half a season is done and coaches have worked out their strengths and weaknesses as the finals race heats up.

Can any team catch Koroit now the Saints have added serious offensive firepower to their gameplan? The jury is still out.

Can South Warrnambool, known for its ability to defend the ground as a team, fulfill its potential or will a surprise packet like Portland, who has captivated fans with a daring, corridor-friendly gameplan stand up?

The Standard has determined strengths and weaknesses for all 10 clubs at the mid-way point of the campaign. Just how much improvement each team can produce in the second half of the season might be make or break as clubs vie for finals berth in one of regional Victoria's most hotly-contested leagues.

Hot: Ball movement out of the back 50. The Magpies have several capable ball-users stationed on their defensive line and their ability to transition the ball from defence to midfield is exceptional. The Magpies can still sharpen the final kick inside 50 but once they do, watch out. Sam Gordon has looked dangerous since arriving at Leura Oval and has slotted 33 majors from just seven outings thus far. That's an average of 4.71 per match.

Cold: Slow starts. Camperdown has won just three first quarters in 2021, but has been well-versed in the art of catch-up.

Hot: Bravery to take the game on. The Bombers have been sharp around the contests but their drive, dare and emerging midfield, including Patty Smith, is reason to be excited. Ruckman Mark Marriott is demonstrating why the Bombers were so keen to bring him to the south-west and while their form was up-and-down to start the season, Adam Courtney's side is confident it can make a serious push to finals in 2021. Defensively, Cobden has coughed up an average of just 18 scoring shots from its past three outings - a dramatic improvement on its 26.2 shots conceded average from the first five rounds.

Cold: Scoreboard pressure. The Bombers have the lowest points scored tally in the Hampden league and have found it difficult to punish teams with big scores. A six-goal final term against Warrnambool was enough to prove they are more than capable, but they'd love more goals. Often it's only been one or two quarters letting the eighth-placed side down and a more four-quarter effort would also be a boon.

Hot: Buy in. It's a footy buzzword, but it's ringing true for Gerard FitzGerald's men. The Kangaroos were always going to have a period of transition as they adapted to 'Fitzy's' methods. Hamilton Kangaroos are keen to get the ball forward of centre and keep it locked inside 50 after a promising display against Koroit, in which they fell just three short of the Saints' inside 50s despite a 55-point defeat. The Melville Oval club is one of the Hampden league's fastest starters - bursting out of the blocks on four occasions this season - but has won just two second quarters.

Cold: Retaining the ball. Hamilton Kangaroos is working on its ability to hold possession for longer and is championing the philosophy of attack as the best defence. It wants to starve the opposition of possession at the right time and restrict scoring opportunities.

Hot: Just about everything. The Saints aren't doing a hell of a lot wrong, as evidenced in their 101-point average winning margin. They've dropped just one game - to North Warrnambool Eagles - and their offence is the real star. Traditionally known for their emphasis on defence - which hasn't waned - their offensive output has been in fine shape as they've only once failed to kick over 100 points. How could the Saints not be in the premiership picture once again? They couldn't win seven straight, could they?

Cold: There aren't a lot of flaws in their game but they will hope for more growth from individuals who are learning new or specific roles in the Saints' machine. With just an average of 38 points conceded per game and a percentage of 317.20, it'd be picky to choose a flaw.

Hot: Ability to recognise deficiencies, work on them and improve as a result. The Eagles study the film available to see what they need to get better at and that strategy is getting the best out of every player on the list. Their ball movement has also been a real strength in recent weeks, according to coach Adam Dowie. There's a nice flow to everything they're doing in moving the ball from defence, to midfield and then to attack. Dowie drafted in Lewis Holland, Billie Smedts and Tom Batten against Terang Mortlake on Saturday and felt bigger bodies can help his side keep ticking boxes from the defensive side of things.

Cold: Defending around the contest is a work in progress and something the Eagles are continuing to build upon.

Hot: Learning. Port Fairy is developing a new way of doing things and the baby steps are evident each week. They're implementing plans for ball movement, turning up to training and taking things forward. Commitment has also improved after some lean numbers at times through the pre-season as the group invests in the message from coach Winis Imbi and assistant Shane Threlfall.

Cold: Ball movement and defending turnovers need some work, as boom recruit Shane Savage alluded to on The Main Break podcast this past week. The Seagulls have found it difficult to stop teams kicking big scores in 2021, as evidenced by their 100-point against average.

Hot: Youth, exciting footy and exuberance. The Tigers are the underdog giving 2021 a red-hot crack. Their game plan, which is built on taking risks and chains of direct ball movement, is refreshing and brilliant to watch from a neutral perspective. A team without any out-and-out superstars, Portland has been working for each other and is a tight unit.

Cold: Kicking can sometimes be Portland's Achilles' heel. The Tigers have a game plan built on needing to be a good kick, and coach Jarrod Holt knows how vital it is. Portland is also known for its slow starts - it has won just two first quarters in 2021 - but is ironically one of the best second-quarter teams in the Hampden league, winning five of a possible eight.

Hot: Defence. More specifically, team defence. The Roosters have become one of the Hampden league's best at defending the ground and forcing play into wide areas. This is built on good coaching and that's exactly what Mat Battistello provides. South has conceded just 385 points in 2021 and is very tough to beat at Friendly Societies Park. If a game falls into an arm wrestle, the Roosters are the likely winners. They keep scores low and often come out on top.

Cold: Battistello has flagged contested footy as an area of improvement and the Roosters will be keen to build on this as Hampden league finals loom closer. The Roosters will also be keen to sharpen their blades in offence, having slotted just 589 points of their own. It doesn't matter so much if you're winning, but a big score would be the cherry on top.

Hot: Spirit and character. The Bloods are a young side, but their heads don't fall often. Even against North Warrnambool Eagles this past Saturday - who blazed out of the blocks early - the Bloods fought back and had a red-hot go. Coach Ben Kenna keeps his gameplans simple - something players love about his approach - and when things click, they'll click.

Cold: The need to play with a bit of confidence and execution. The Bloods want to take the game on and to that, keeping the footy is a vital skill to have. Controlling the game a bit more and edging it on their terms will go a long way.

Hot: Flexibility. The Blues have an ability to throw the magnets around - Sam Cowling is the obvious example - to find the right balance. They did just that against Port Fairy on Saturday and found the winning formula. Warrnambool has the ability to hit hard on the scoreboard and has kicked just eight points less than second-placed South Warrnambool in 2021, an example of this.

Cold: Turnovers. The Blues have seen signs of improvement in this area but a lack of defensive pressure was hurting them as teams went coast-to-coast and scored heavily in recent slumps. Coach Ben Parkinson is confident the worst is behind them and is hoping to see improvement in this space.

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