IMAGINE if they get their starts right.

Sydney's runaway 2024 campaign has put the competition on notice ahead of the business end of the season.

>> SCROLL DOWN TO SEE YOUR CLUB'S FULL QUARTER-BY-QUARTER RECORD

The scary part for the other 17 clubs is the Swans are three games plus percentage clear at the top of the ladder despite being the 11th best first-quarter side in the competition, winning six and losing seven of their first terms so far this season.

And they're losing some first quarters by significant margins, too. In their past four games, the Swans have conceded the first four goals against Carlton, the first two against the Western Bulldogs, the first six against Geelong and four of the first five against Adelaide. But they've stormed home to win each by an average margin of 35 points.

Joel Amartey celebrates his ninth goal during the match between Adelaide and Sydney at Adelaide Oval in round 14, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

Unsurprisingly given their sluggish starts, the Swans are the competition benchmark after the first break. They are behind only Gold Coast in second quarters and the clear leaders in third and fourth terms this year, winning 22 of 26 quarters after half-time.

Looking at the quarter-by-quarter splits this season, the Suns are a fascinating study. Boasting a League-leading 11-2 record in second quarters, they are also the second worst starters in the competition with a 4-9 record in first terms, ahead of only North Melbourne (2-11).

The fluctuations continue after half-time, with the Suns ranked fourth in third quarters but 11th in final terms.

Similarly, Hawthorn starts and finishes poorly (ranked 12th in first quarters and 14th in fourth) but is the third and fifth best in the competition in the middle two terms.

Meanwhile, Brisbane, Greater Western Sydney and Port Adelaide – the three top ranked first-quarter teams – have shown themselves to be vulnerable late in games. All three clubs are ranked outside the top eight in quarters three and four, with the Giants ahead of only West Coast, North Melbourne and Richmond in final terms.

Fans of the Lions (against Carlton in Opening Round), the Giants (against St Kilda in round five) and the Power (against Geelong in round nine and Hawthorn in round 10) need no reminding of their teams' tendency to fade late.

Charlie Curnow celebrates a goal during Carlton's clash against Brisbane in Opening Round, 2024. Picture: Getty Images

On the other hand, both Adelaide and St Kilda are ranked outside the top eight in each of the first three quarters, but have played out games well to sit second and fourth respectively in final terms.

But the focus for the remainder of this season will be on the team in red and white. If rival clubs are going to get the better of them, they'll have to do it for longer than just the first 30 minutes of the game. 

FIRST QUARTERS
  W D L PF PA %
Brisbane 10 0 3 371 228 162.72
Greater Western Sydney 10 0 3 311 219 142.01
Port Adelaide 9 1 3 324 273 118.68
Geelong 9 0 4 338 250 135.2
Carlton 8 1 4 330 279 118.28
Collingwood 8 0 6 326 327 99.69
Essendon 7 1 5 280 267 104.87
Western Bulldogs 7 0 7 360 295 122.03
Richmond 6 1 7 246 301 81.73
Adelaide 6 0 8 308 294 104.76
Sydney 6 0 7 278 279 99.64
Hawthorn 6 0 8 265 318 83.33
Fremantle 5 0 8 231 253 91.3
Melbourne 5 0 8 215 256 83.98
West Coast 5 0 8 193 255 75.69
St Kilda 5 0 9 215 327 65.75
Gold Coast 4 0 9 230 299 76.92
North Melbourne 2 0 11 232 333 69.67
SECOND QUARTERS
  W D L PF PA %
Gold Coast 11 0 2 286 141 202.84
Sydney 9 0 4 318 182 174.73
Hawthorn 9 0 5 277 237 116.88
Collingwood 8 0 6 341 279 122.22
Western Bulldogs 8 0 6 338 279 121.15
Greater Western Sydney 7 1 5 318 252 126.19
Brisbane 7 0 6 295 209 141.15
Fremantle 7 0 6 251 216 116.2
Adelaide 7 0 7 248 254 97.64
St Kilda 6 1 7 240 258 93.02
Port Adelaide 6 0 7 247 241 102.49
Carlton 6 0 7 230 261 88.12
Melbourne 6 0 7 185 231 80.09
Essendon 5 0 8 247 309 79.94
Geelong 5 0 8 226 306 73.86
West Coast 4 0 9 270 378 71.43
North Melbourne 4 0 9 253 386 65.54
Richmond 4 0 10 215 366 58.74
THIRD QUARTERS
  W D L PF PA %
Sydney 11 0 2 395 200 197.5
Geelong 9 0 4 329 276 119.2
Collingwood 9 0 5 289 255 113.33
Gold Coast 8 1 4 317 284 111.62
Hawthorn 7 1 6 299 319 93.73
Essendon 7 0 6 300 252 119.05
Melbourne 7 0 6 301 272 110.66
Western Bulldogs 6 2 6 284 257 110.51
Greater Western Sydney 7 0 6 274 251 109.16
Carlton 7 0 6 343 319 107.52
Port Adelaide 7 0 6 279 278 100.36
Fremantle 6 0 7 262 246 106.5
St Kilda 6 0 8 258 272 94.85
Adelaide 5 0 9 291 317 91.8
Brisbane 5 0 8 233 271 85.98
Richmond 5 0 9 280 381 73.49
West Coast 4 0 9 190 285 66.67
North Melbourne 2 0 11 215 404 53.22
FOURTH QUARTERS
  W D L PF PA %
Sydney 11 0 2 362 242 149.59
Adelaide 9 1 4 291 244 119.26
Western Bulldogs 9 0 5 358 288 124.31
St Kilda 9 0 5 310 252 123.02
Fremantle 8 0 5 321 244 131.56
Carlton 7 1 5 325 259 125.48
Geelong 7 1 5 316 278 113.67
Collingwood 7 1 6 282 293 96.25
Melbourne 7 0 6 304 245 124.08
Essendon 6 2 5 254 251 101.2
Gold Coast 6 1 6 301 327 92.05
Port Adelaide 6 0 7 279 246 113.41
Brisbane 5 2 6 265 297 89.23
Hawthorn 5 1 8 257 311 82.64
Greater Western Sydney 5 0 8 252 289 87.2
West Coast 4 0 9 241 313 77
North Melbourne 2 0 11 217 359 60.45
Richmond 2 0 12 152 349 43.55