It’s official. I am loving the new bonus points system in Suncorp Super Netball, which offers a championship point for each quarter won in a game.

In an attempt to build viewer numbers by way of changing elements around the game, rather than changing the rules of the game itself, netball bosses have pulled the right strings in this case. As a result the games are better to watch, and more exciting to commentate. There are four “mini-peaks” throughout the course of each match that create a contest within a contest.

I love how it makes teams play high-intensity netball for the full 60 minutes. I love how it gives a losing team the opportunity to salvage something from a game they have lost.

I also love how it brings the crowd into a contest. This was evident in the last five minutes of the Giants' win over the Vixens on Sunday. The Giants had the game sewn up midway through the last quarter, but with a crucial bonus point still to play for the atmosphere was electric. Giants may have been leading, but they were trailing the quarter by two goals with a minute remaining. It was only a massive effort to score three goals, the last with just two seconds on the clock, that helped the Giants pick up the final bonus point of the game. The capacity crowd went ballistic and coach Julie Fitzgerald grinned like a Cheshire cat.

Who knows what that single point will mean for the Giants' season? What I do know is that situation is invaluable for a team to get used to. When the game is tight, they will know they can score three goals in under a minute, that they have the necessary composure to do the little things right in a pressure situation.