SuperCoach 2025: CBA, kick-in leaders at every club
Who gets the most centre bounces and kick-ins at your club? Champion Data guru Fantasy Freako lifts the lid and names the SuperCoach players to watch in 2025.
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SuperCoach is a numbers game.
And no one knows the numbers like Fantasy Freako, the in-house SuperCoach expert at Champion Data, which provides the stats that power SuperCoach.
Two numbers that aren’t part of the SuperCoach scoring formula but have attracted growing attention in recent seasons are centre bounce attendances (CBAs) and kick-ins.
Both are key indicators of a player’s role. Attending more CBAs means more opportunities to win contested possessions – highly valued in SuperCoach – while playing on from a kick-in is a great way for defenders to score points. Exhibit A and B are Lachie Whitfield and Luke Ryan, who were on another level as the AFL’s two leading kick-in takers in 2024, and averaged 111 and 117 points, respectively.
See the leaders in both categories from every team below, and Freako’s analysis of trends we are likely to see in 2025.
FREAKO SAYS: Rory Laird will move out of the centre bounce set up, which should pave the way for Izak Rankine and James Peatling to get midfield minutes. We could also see ex-Demon Alex Neal-Bullen get time in the middle. Jake Soligo should take another step forward, while Jordan Dawson’s grunt will continue to be important.
Laird could become a SuperCoach target as a defender and appears certain to earn DPP status ahead of the first set of changes in round 6. He could be handed kick-in duties as well. Laird averaged 104 points when he last played in defence in 2020.
FREAKO SAYS: Don’t expect to see drastic changes at the reigning premiers. Will Ashcroft could see more centre bounce time after the Lions eased him back from injury, while brother Levi will be pushing for a role in there, too. He’ll likely be eased into the AFL at wing/half-forward.
Dayne Zorko’s role looks assured in the short-term after the injury setback to Keidean Coleman. Even when Coleman returns, Zorko should continue playing in that attacking half-back role. He is crucial to Brisbane’s defensive half ball movement, taking twice as many kick-ins as the next best Lion in 2024.
FREAKO SAYS: Sam Walsh looks set to play in round 1 after a recent injury. With Matthew Kennedy departing for the Bulldogs, it opens the door for Adam Cerra to get more centre bounce minutes. The Blues could also use Elijah Hollands in there a lot more.
Sam Docherty’s SuperCoach prospects could be boosted with a return to defence after Nic Newman’s injury, but he looks set to continue playing on the wing. Lachlan Cowan is the frontrunner to fill the void left by Newman. Oliver Hollands has trained in defence all summer and looks set for a new role in 2025.
FREAKO SAYS: Ex-Giant Harry Perryman has been training with the midfield this pre-season. That boosts his fantasy relevance, which in turn would see Jack Crisp potentially return to half-back.
Josh Daicos has been swung into a half-back role, and he could flourish there. Dan Houston will join him and after serving his one-match ban in the opening round, and he will be front and centre against former side Port Adelaide in round 1. Houston took more than one third of Port Adelaide’s kick-ins last season and he would be the frontrunner for that role at Collingwood with his elite kicking.
FREAKO SAYS: The Bombers have swung the magnets and there could be widespread positional changes. Their centre bounce set up ran deep last year with up to seven players getting exposed. Usual suspects like Zach Merrett, Sam Durham, Jye Caldwell and Darcy Parish will continue to get centre bounce minutes, but the smokie is Elijah Tsatas. He has turned heads this pre-season and could force his way into the midfield with the injury to Parish. Tsatas attended a game-high 26 centre bounces against the Cats on Tuesday night – helping himself to 31 disposals, 15 contested possessions and 10 clearances.
Down back the Bombers will continue to share the kick-in duties between Mason Redman and Andrew McGrath. Dylan Shiel may also get some after his positional switch. But Jordan Ridley will have first crack – with Zach Reid also taking a couple against the Cats.
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FREAKO SAYS: The Dockers will continue to rely on Caleb Serong and Andrew Brayshaw at centre bounces. Nat Fyfe hasn’t had the best of pre-seasons and that could see Matt Johnson get more CBAs, or they could turn to WAFL star Neil Erasmus. Erasmus has been starved of AFL opportunities, but he dominated at the lower level with 11 scores of 120-plus SuperCoach points from 17 games last year. Shai Bolton is another option whose X-Factor will be important.
Luke Ryan has a monopoly on the kick-ins – taking a competition-high 63.2% of his team’s share. He is as safe as houses in SuperCoach. Jordan Clark is a cheaper alternative if you don’t want to play top dollar for Ryan.
FREAKO SAYS: Where Tom Stewart will play is the biggest question at Geelong. He has trained in defence over the pre-season, but Chris Scott does have that ace up his sleeve and can shift him into the midfield, as we saw in 2024. The Cats desperately need new blood in there and that brings Bailey Smith into the mix. A midfield of Smith, Max Holmes, Tanner Bruhn and Jack Bowes is the future for Geelong. We can add Mitch Knevitt to the mix after he attended 17 centre bounces against the Bombers in the AAMI Community Series – the third-most of any Cat.
With Stewart expected to move back to defence, he will again get first crack at kick-ins. He had the highest share at Geelong last season. Zach Guthrie will also be thereabouts, with Lawson Humphries another an option. Humphries didn’t miss a beat last year and scored a season-high 125 points in Geelong’s preliminary final defeat.
FREAKO SAYS: The Suns’ centre bounce set up is a settled one. They rely heavily on Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell, then you have a mixture of Touk Miller, Sam Flanders and Will Graham. Leonard Lombard would be itching the get a crack in the midfield, but he suffered a shoulder injury in the recent scratch match.
Daniel Rioli’s addition to defence could see him take a share of the kick-ins. Wil Powell would be the main one affected, and although Flanders had the second-highest share of kick-ins last year, he won’t be in defence in 2025.
FREAKO SAYS: The core of the Giants’ centre bounce setup is strong. Toby Bedford was thrust into a tagging role last season with mixed success. He was used there heavily against the Swans in the recent practice match alongside Josh Kelly and Finn Callaghan.
James Peatling was fourth in line for his centre bounce involvement last season and after his departure, there is an opportunity for someone new. That could be James Leake, who has trained in the midfield over the summer – but he didn’t come into the game until the final term against Sydney.
Only Jeremy McGovern and Luke Ryan had a greater share of kick-ins in 2024 than Lachie Whitfield. The attacking Giant is central to the Giants’ defensive 50 ball movement. Don’t expect to see many changes.
FREAKO SAYS: The Hawks often had a strong-four setup at centre bounces last season. The fifth or sixth option was a mix between an extra midfielder or Dylan Moore. We should see the same structure in 2025, with Jai Newcombe at the forefront – he averaged 146 SuperCoach points in his final four games (including finals).
The recent acquisition of Tom Barrass and Josh Battle could pave the way for James Sicily to switch ends. But from all reports he has been training in defence over the summer. We could see Sicily play the roaming “Tom Stewart” role as he’s no longer required to play the strict lockdown roles. We could also see Mitchell swing him forward if the Hawks are chasing.
FREAKO SAYS: The injury to Christian Petracca last season led to Trent Rivers being thrust into the centre bounce setup. With Petracca back, we could see Rivers share his time between roles as Clayton Oliver and Jack Viney continue to be used exclusively as midfielders. Ed Langdon is another name to come up for midfield time.
Caleb Windsor has been trialled in defence after the acquisition of Harry Sharp. Sharp’s elite endurance is perfect for one of the wings.
Steven May’s direct play from kick-ins is a weapon for the Demons and he should continue launching attacks.
FREAKO SAYS: George Wardlaw’s hamstring injury opens the door for someone else to step up at the Kangaroos. They have a plethora of options that can run through the midfield, with ex-Swan Luke Parker the most recent addition. Tom Powell was used all over the field in 2024, but he’s likely to be settled in the midfield. Luke Davies-Uniacke, Harry Sheezel and Jy Simpkin will be key players in the setup.
Colby McKercher is destined to play further up the ground after the arrival of Caleb Daniel. Daniel will be the main distributor in defence – making him a must-have in SuperCoach.
Zac Fisher took over 40 per cent of the Kangaroos’ kick-ins last season, but that figure will likely decrease.
FREAKO SAYS: There has been plenty of noise coming out of Adelaide this summer about the role of Jason Horne-Francis. He is expected to increase his midfield minutes after spending 36 per cent of games up forward in 2024. The Power have a strong centre bounce group with Willem Drew and Jake Meade also pushing for centre bounce time alongside the “big three.” Drew has been injured and may face a delayed start to the season.
Dan Houston’s move to Collingwood leaves a gaping hole in the Power’s backline. Overall, 36.6 per cent of his kick-ins led to an inside 50 entry for the Power – ranked third in the AFL among the top-50 kick-in players. The onus will be on Kane Farrell to take on a greater responsibility and that can only be a good thing for his SuperCoach scoring.
FREAKO SAYS: The injection of youth at the Tigers will be a theme in 2025. They will be keen to expose the youngers they snapped up in the draft, with Sam Lalor and Josh Smillie at the forefront for centre bounce minutes, although both are doubtful for the season opener through injury. Tim Taranto should bounce back after an injury-affected season and will again be integral to their centre bounce structure.
Jayden Short could be handed Daniel Rioli’s share of kick-ins with the speedy defender crossing over to Gold Coast. Short’s handball-receives may also get a boost, improving his fantasy prospects significantly.
FREAKO SAYS: Mattaes Phillipou was only eighth in line for his centre bounce involvement in 2024, but the expectation was that he would get significantly more midfield minutes this year. However, his injury has quashed that.
After playing 72 per cent of game time up forward last year, Jack Macrae has been promised a midfield role and that will do wonders for his SuperCoach scoring.
The attacking duo of Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Jack Sinclair will be crucial from kick-ins once again, while raking left-footer Arie Schoenmaker, who took 17.1 per cent of kick-ins in the games he played, is another option from set plays should he force his way into the side. Riley Bonner took 52 kick-ins last season, so his share is up for grabs.
FREAKO SAYS: Heeney’s injection into the midfield last season was a game changer for Sydney. Expect him to be front and centre again in 2025. Forgotten Swan, Angus Sheldrick will put his name up for selection after a strong summer. Dean Cox hasn’t been afraid to spin the magnets and that could see changes.
Only Nick Blakey (43) took more kick-ins than Matt Roberts (41) once the latter returned to the side in Round 17, averaging 22 disposals and 93 points. Expect them to again take the share of Sydney’s kick-ins. Meanwhile, Sam Wicks has switched ends and found plenty of the ball last week against GWS Giants.
FREAKO SAYS: Elliot Yeo’s injury could be offset by the arrival of Jack Graham. Graham has shone on the track and is another mid-price option to consider. Elijah Hewett missed all of 2024 through injury and he’ll be keen to put his best foot forward under new coach Andrew McQualter. Tim Kelly will again be the main exponent through the middle, while Harley Reid will look to build on his strong debut season. Reid has had an interrupted pre-season so he may not hit the ground running straight away.
Liam Duggan’s future could be in the midfield and that could see Jeremy McGovern’s kick-in share increase even more. However, it may be Liam Baker that stands out in a new role across half-back. A MID-FWD in his final season at Richmond, he looks set to play a key role in the back half this year.
FREAKO SAYS: Adam Treloar’s injury is a huge blow for the Bulldogs. One would expect Ryley Sanders to benefit most, but expect the unexpected with Luke Beveridge, especially from a SuperCoach perspective. Ed Richards’ move into the midfield in 2024 was a positive one for the Bulldogs and he could be the one that gains most from Treloar’s injury.
Bailey Dale is the main distributor from kick-ins and considering he has led the AFL for one-twos in each of the last two seasons, his relevance in SuperCoach is obvious. The injury to Liam Jones has opened the door in the key defensive post, with Jedd Busslinger one player putting his name forward for an AFL debut.
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Originally published as SuperCoach 2025: CBA, kick-in leaders at every club
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