Especially in the early rounds, player absences were no doubt a factor, but even as some key personnel started to return the Tigers have fallen short of the high bar set last year.
A look into the stats could shed more light on Rochy’s underwhelming start.
At the most basic level, the Tigers have been less effective on both ends of the ball through the first seven games.
The most significant difference is defensively, as Rochester came into the year boasting 2025’s most restrictive defence, the only side to concede fewer than 1000 points in the regular season.
The Tigers averaged 54.17 points against in 2025, but are shipping a starkly different 81.29 to start this season, the third worst in the competition.
Although it was only the sixth-best attack in 2025 (88.17 points a game), Rochy has also seen a downturn at that end, now the ninth-best offence (67.43).
As to what has caused the Tigers’ downturn, it appears to be a culmination of small decreases.
The Tigers are slightly off last year’s pace around the stoppage, averaging fewer clearances a game (40 v 44) compared to last year, while their opponents are relatively steady (42 v 43).
When Rochy does have possession it is finding fewer clean targets, logging significantly fewer marks (76 v 92) resulting in a reduced disposal efficiency (67% v 69%).
In contrast, the Tigers’ opponents have improved in marks (94 v 79) and efficiency (66% v 63%).
These easy possessions have contributed to a big rise in opposition inside 50s, teams in 2026 entering the Tigers' defensive zone 48 times a game, compared to 41 last season.
How coach Ash Watson and the Rochester brainstrust hope to turn around these key metrics could be key to how the Tigers perform over the remainder of the season and whether we’ll see them as a title contender again come September.
Rochester returns to action this Saturday, visiting Benalla.
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