CBAs – Centre Bounce Attendances – is a statistic that measures the number of times a player is present at a centre bounce at the beginning of a quarter or following a goal. A player that has a high attendance rate at CBAs is around the footy more and (in some cases) in a more fantasy-friendly midfield role.
Analyse the CBAs from the football weekend in our user-friendly tables in our premium resources section – featuring advanced analytical tools to better measure the most significant changes, seasonally and week-to-week.
Will Ashcroft
Brisbane’s centre bounce mix was very broad in Round 11. Lachie Neale (89%) and Josh Dunkley (85%) had very high attendance while no other midfielder managed 40% CBAs. Ashcroft was the best of the rest with 37% CBAs for a season average of 42%. He’s still in the top 3 midfielders for centre-bounce attendance despite the low proportion!
The problem for Ashcroft is the variability in his scoring. His CBAs have been relatively consistent yet he scored 46 fantasy points after two consecutive hundreds. So we look to his points from stoppages – where he scored a season low 18 points on the weekend. It was a disappointing return in a game with over 100 stoppages, but his role is still good.
Jack Macrae
The new dual-position FWD has averaged 120 fantasy points in his last two games after an uncharacteristically slow start to the season. Macrae’s centre bounce numbers have dropped dramatically in 2023 and he has played more of an outside role at stoppages. His average possession location is 3 metres further from stoppages this season and his 7 point decrease has come from stoppages.
| Season | Fantasy | CBA% | Stoppage Points | Possession distance from stoppage |
| 2021 | 116.2 | 77% | 47.2 | 12.4m |
| 2022 | 104.2 | 64% | 43.1 | 11.7m |
| 2023 | 97.2 | 44% | 35.2 | 14.6m |
Finn Callaghan
Callaghan got his first proper chance at centre-bounces this season against the Cats with 44% CBAs. It came as Josh Kelly (injured) and Harry Perryman had 0 CBAs. Callaghan has predominately played on the wing in 2023, but maybe he can get some more inside time? He had 5 tackles in Round 11, the first time he’s had multiple this year.
There is an expectation that Callaghan will move into the midfield as his career progresses and it is a promising sign to see it early. A great long term prospect for your keeper league squad.
Jordan De Goey
Collingwood’s number one midfielder is averaging 84.3% centre bounce attendance over the last 5 rounds. He has two scores over 120 in his last three games with a 127 in Round 11 vs North Melbourne. His increase in fantasy output has exclusively come from stoppages this year. The step to becoming an elite fantasy pick will be to score more consistently, against both easy matchups and hard matchups.
| Season | Fantasy Average | Points from Stoppages |
| 2021 | 84.5 | 28.1 |
| 2022 | 81.0 | 28.7 |
| 2023 | 91.6 | 38.2 |
Hugh Greenwood
Greenwood was the #1 player for centre-bounces at North Melbourne in Round 11, attending 23 of 30 (76.7%). He scored a massive 114 points with 11 tackles. The reason for this was his increase in output at stoppages all around the ground. He scored 84 points stoppages – 44 of those from tackles alone.
Liam Shiels is set to return in Round 12 so the centre-bounce spread will be changing. Simpkin and Wardlaw look like continuing their midfield roles so it may be Greenwood who is reduced. This isn’t great news for his scoring potential when he was so reliant on stoppage points for his 114.
Preview of Advanced CBA Stats:
| Player | Club | Pos | LG% | LG%vsPG% | Avg% | L3Avg% | LG%vsAvg% | L3G%vsAvg% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Steele | SK | C | 81 | -5 | 88.4 | 87 | -7.4 | -1.4 |
| Reilly O’Brien | AD | R | 80 | -4 | 87.7 | 84 | -7.7 | -3.7 |
| Rowan Marshall | SK | R | 88 | +12 | 87.7 | 87 | +0.3 | -0.7 |
| Max Gawn | ME | R | 90 | -2 | 86.6 | 89 | +3.4 | +2.4 |
| Tom Green | GWS | C | 85 | +5 | 86 | 83 | -1 | -3 |
| Luke Davies-Uniacke | NM | C | 83 | +3 | 85.1 | 83 | -2.1 | -2.1 |
| Ned Reeves | HW | R | 82 | -5 | 84.5 | 79 | -2.5 | -5.5 |
| Lloyd Meek | HW | R | 77 | -13 | 84.4 | 82 | -7.4 | -2.4 |
| Jarrod Witts | GC | R | 82 | -11 | 84.2 | 86 | -2.2 | +1.8 |
| Tristan Xerri | NM | R | 83 | +3 | 83.4 | 82 | -0.4 | -1.4 |
View more CBA Analysis numbers here.
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
