CBAs Analysis: Round 1, 2025- AFL Fantasy

In AFL Fantasy, Centre Bounce Attendances (CBAs) are one of the most valuable indicators of a player’s role and scoring potential. Each week, changes in CBAs can signal role shifts, coaching adjustments, or evolving team strategies—all of which are crucial for fantasy coaches looking to stay ahead of the game. Each week, I’ll be selecting five key players whose midfield involvement is worth highlighting. For a more detailed breakdown of all the biggest movers, members can access our CBA analysis data tools here.

Sam De Koning

Sam De Koning was used as Geelong’s number one ruck and saw an 82% CBA increase from his last game. He put up a massive 124 fantasy points, which is huge for a defender, and you’d be pretty happy if you had him in your team. The only concern with De Koning is that Toby Conway is back training with the main group and looks likely to play VFL this weekend. If he returns to the side, he’s a more than handy number-one ruck, which also allows Geelong to send De Koning back into defence, where he has been one of their best key defenders. So while this looks great now, there could be some issues in the future.

Nathan O’Driscoll

I probably didn’t expect this from Fremantle, with Nathan O’Driscoll seeing a 68% CBA uptick from his previous game, totalling 23 CBAs in the Round 1 clash against Geelong. He performed well in this role and scored a respectable 85 points. However, there are some concerns. Hayden Young is currently missing from the side, but he will likely return to the midfield soon. It also remains to be seen what Fremantle does with Nat Fyfe—whether they play him forward or in the midfield—so that could push O’Driscoll out as well. Additionally, he’s a very capable wingman and could easily slot back into that role. While he had plenty of CBAs on the weekend and put up a solid score, this might be short-lived.

Joel Freijah

There were reports of Joel Freijah training in the midfield down in Footscray last week. He played mainly in defence during the first half but was injected into the midfield in the second half and was quite effective for the Bulldogs, winning a few clearances and even kicking a goal from the midfield. With Bontempelli and Treloar out, I doubt this will be a long-term move, but it’s a great sign for his development and shows how highly the Bulldogs rate him. I expect him to be a good scorer across the halfback line this season and he looks to be one of the better up-and-coming players in the competition at the moment.

Mitch Knevitt

Mitch Knevitt did as expected, recording 19 centre bounce attendances, which is 56% more than his last game. He’s usually a player that operates on the wing and doesn’t see this level of inside time, but he performed well in the midfield—although a lot of his disposals came in junk time. My only concern is that Bailey Smith saw a 31% dip in CBAs from his last game. He should be a primary CBA midfielder, and I expect his numbers to rise, which may result in Knevitt’s CBAs decreasing. However, there aren’t many other midfielders to come into this Geelong side, so he should remain firmly in their best 22 and be a handy contributor.

Rowan Marshall

Rowan Marshall saw a 74% decrease in his CBAs over the weekend, with offseason recruit Harry Boyd taking the lion’s share of the centre bounce attendances and handling most of the ruck work. If I were a Marshall owner, though, I wouldn’t be overly concerned. He spent the preseason injured, and it feels like they’re just easing him back into it. Also, with Max King currently missing, they need a tall option up forward, so they’ve decided to use Marshall there. As he builds fitness and recovers from his offseason injuries, I expect him to spend a lot more time in the ruck. There might be some short-term pain, but hold on—he’ll be fine.

For a full breakdown of the biggest CBA movers this week, be sure to check out the CBA analysis tools available to members.

Preview of Advanced CBA Stats:

Advanced CBA Stats

Key:
LG% – Percentage of CBAs last game
LG%vsPG% – Percentage of CBAs last game versus percentage of CBAs previous game
Avg% – Average of CBA percentage in games played
L3Avg% – Average of CBA percentage over the past three games
LG%vsAvg% – Last game CBA percentage vs average CBA percentage
L3G%vsAvg% – Last three games CBA percentage vs average CBA percentage

Last Round vs Previous Game

Key:
AF – AFL Fantasy points scored last round
TOG% – Percentage of Time On Ground last round
LR – Last Round Centre Bounce Attendances
LR% – Last Round Centre Bounce Attendance Percentage
PGCBA – Previous Game Centre Bounce Attendances
PGCBA% – Previous Game Centre Bounce Attendance Percentage
CBADif – CBA Differential of Last Round vs Previous Round
CBA%Dif – CBA% Differential of Last Round vs Previous Round

CBA% By Round

View more CBA Analysis numbers here.