Famed coach David Parkin met his players in the bowels of the MCG, Carlton trailing Richmond by 11 points at half-time of the 1982 VFL grand final.

Parkin wasn't worried. This was where he liked being.

The Hall of Famer was known for placing extra emphasis on the third quarter, demanding his side outplay and outpower its opponents to guarantee victory before the final stanza.

IN SPORT:

A half-time deficit turned into a 17-point lead at three-quarter time.

The Blues held on by three goals to win their second-straight premiership - a feat some 70 years in the making.

For Parkin, the "premiership quarter" had delivered again.

The "premiership quarter" has been a term that's survived all the modern iterations of football.

But, is the team that wins the third quarter more likely to win the game?

How can a side in the Ballarat Football Netball League that's lost just one game have only won three third quarters then?

Is any quarter really more important than the other?

We dove into how each BFNL club performed quarter-by-quarter this year.

You can't accuse North Ballarat of being slow starters.

The Roosters have won every single opening quarter this season. It's a feat unmatched.

In fact, the minor premier is the only side to kick a goal in the opening term of each game.

The only club which threatens the Roosters' starting supremacy is Melton, with a 9-1 first quarter record.

The Bloods' blip is then obvious - a 22-point slip against North Ballarat at Mars Stadium the only mark on an otherwise faultless record.

Brendan McCartney's group also owns one of the best second quarter records in the league.

The Roosters' 6-4 tally is only beaten by Sebastopol (7-3).

The half-time siren blows, the North Ballarat brigade savours its team's dominance and dreams of a premiership spark up.

That's when the slide begins.

North Ballarat's record in the "premiership quarter" is one of the worst in the competition.

Its three wins are only better than Darley - who was winless in third quarters and winless throughout the season.

Luckily for the Roosters there is company near the bottom, Melton South also sharing a 3-7 record.

Taking a step back, it could just be an anomaly for North Ballarat. One misstep amplified by its otherwise brilliant run.

An average of three goals per third quarter is equal-third-best in the league, only bettered by East Point (3.9) and Sebastopol (3.1).

It's a similar story with the Roosters' average score in third quarters. A respectable 21.4 puts it third, again only better by East Point (26.7) and Sebastopol (21.5).

But, there's something papering over the cracks.

Without a triumphant 10.4 (64) to 1.1 (7) third quarter against Melton South in round nine the Roosters sink into mundaity.

Taking that haul away, an average of 2.2 goals per third quarter puts the Roosters firmly in the middle of the pack.

It's the same story with an average total score of 16.6.

Remove that 64-point buffer from the Melton South game and North Ballarat's average third-quarter deficit plummets into the negatives; -3 to be exact.

Luckily for McCartney, his charges, and all involved with the black-and-white, one old adage rings true.

The good sides bounce back.

North Ballarat has lost just one final quarter, way back in round two in the Roosters' only loss of the season against Lake Wendouree. Only Ballarat (8-1-1) comes close to matching that record

An average third-quarter deficit of 3 soars to 21.2 in the final term.

They may falter in the so-called premiership quarter, but with such a dominant record otherwise, it might just be one of those quirks in a season to remember for the Roosters.

Countless cliches exist about a game's first few minutes.

"Get the first on the board." "Let them know you're there early." "Stamp your authority."

Fortunately, for some clubs, the first quarter isn't the be all and end all.

Ballarat has one of the worst first quarter records in the competition, yet it is still playing finals.

The Swans' 3-7 is the worst of the six finalists and only better than Darley - who failed to win a first term this season. Melton South and Bacchus Marsh also share the Swans' rap sheet.

Merely 0.09 per cent saves Ballarat from a negative opening-quarter deficit.

But, the club has built a reputation of staying in the fight.

A 3-7 record improves to 5-5 in the second quarter. It stays at 5-5 for the third, before the Swans come into their own.

Joe Carmody's side has only lost one final quarter to date, even then it was only by 3 points to Sebastopol in what turned out to be the final game of the home-and-away season.

The Swans' have also drawn one fourth quarter, but given the circumstances it could be considered a win.

In that final term against Redan back in round three, Ballarat matched its output for the entire first half to save some sense of pride.

The Swans' final quarter dominance is no fluke, they are one of the best at closing out games.

An average final quarter total score of 23.2 places Ballarat second in class, only behind minor premier North Ballarat (31.6).

An average of 3.3 goals each fourth term is also the second-best in the competition, again behind North Ballarat (4.7).

They may stutter, but sure enough the Swans find their wings.

Every match has its victor, each quarter its loser.

At its rudimentary basic level, the home-and-away season certainly provided.

The best performance in a quarter came on the final day of the regular season, Sebastopol running riot in a 10.6 (66) to 1.2 (8) second term against Melton South.

It was only the second time a team had kicked 10 goals in a single term, with North Ballarat achieving the feat in 10.4 (64) to 1.1 (7) third quarter back in round nine against the same opponent.

The highest scoring start to the game? Redan in round seven, notching 44 points against Lake Wendouree.

Biggest total in a final quarter? East Point claimed it in round five, kicking 7.5 (47) to hand Melton its first loss of the season.

As always, there is the other end of things.

In total, six times a team was kept scoreless for an entire quarter.

Lake Wendouree was the biggest victim, twice entering a quarter-time huddle having not added to their score.

First it happened in the final quarter of their round two loss to East Point, then again in the last term of their round 11 defeat at the hands of Sunbury.

Darley and Melton South joined the club in round eight; the Devils held to zero in the first quarter of loss to East Point and the Panthers with the same scoreless start against Ballarat.

Sunbury would be the last inductee - for now. The Lions failed to hit the board in the first quarter on a tough, cold, wet early July day against Redan.

If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.