THE CATS have copped a lot of flak this season for their poor performance at stoppages.

But the picture is not quite as clear as has been made out.

First, let's get the bad news out of the way.

As the table below illustrates, Geelong has struggled to win the ball at stoppages this season (top eight teams in bold).

CLUBCLEARANCES WON
Fremantle572
Port Adelaide 549
Hawthorn537
Carlton535
Western Bulldogs531
Brisbane Lions524
Sydney Swans524
Collingwood521
Gold Coast519
Adelaide518
North Melbourne508
West Coast506
Melbourne502
Greater Western Sydney498
Richmond479
St Kilda469
Essendon459
Geelong427

But here's the good news. The Cats are very good at scoring when they win the ball at centre bounces (top eight teams in bold).*

CLUBMATCHESCENTRE BOUNCESCENTRE CLEARANCESSCORES FROM CENTRE CLEARANCES
Adelaide12350169 31.12 
Geelong12 356 150 29.13 
Melbourne13 375144 24.10 
North Melbourne13 385 172 22.19
Hawthorn13 389159 22.18 
Fremantle 13 332 163 22.13 
Carlton 13 391 186 21.18 
Port Adelaide 13 375 158 21.13 
Greater Western Sydney 13 374 153 19.21 
West Coast 13 376 172 19.17 
Collingwood 13 381 155 18.22 
Richmond 13 344 148 18.19 
St Kilda 13 396 147 17.11 
Gold Coast 13 366 163 15.16
Sydney Swans 13 339 143 14.18
Essendon 13 352 141 14.10 
Brisbane Lions 13 378 160 13.18 
Western Bulldogs 13 367 155 12.17 

* A score from stoppage is credited when a player wins a clearance and then the ball is moved in an unbroken chain which results in a goal or behind (excludes rushed behinds). The chain is broken when the opposition wins possession or a stoppage occurs.

And thanks to our friends at AFL Media, here are a few extra stats about Geelong's set-up at centre bounces.

Ruckman
Centre square attendance – who rucks the most? Rhys Stanley, 67 per cent
Centre square hit-outs (per game): Dawson Simpson 18.7
Centre square hit-outs to advantage (team): 30.8 per cent. AFL ranking: 7th 

Onballers
Most used combination: Rhys Stanley, Joel Selwood, Josh Caddy, Mark Blicavs (34 times)
Most used midfielder (midfielder who attends most centre bounces): Joel Selwood (294 times)
Centre clearances won (team): 42.1 per cent. AFL ranking: 10th
Centre clearance king: Joel Selwood (47)
Centre clearance differential: Geelong is +10 when Mark Blicavs attends a centre bounce