Centre bounce attendance has become a statistic in vogue in footy circles in recent times.

It's one of few opportunities in a game where a side can completely control who is at the stoppage and how they set-up.

So, who was the Hawks number one preference at centre square stoppages?

None other than the oldest man in the game, Shaun Burgoyne.

The 38-year-old Burgoyne attended 16 of the game's 21 total centre bounces.

MVP: Jiath with an attention-grabbing display

This may have been due partly to the head-to-head role Burgoyne was playing on Richmond star Dustin Martin, but nonetheless it is an impressive feat for a man closing in on a 400-game milestone.

The Hawks had 10 players working through their centre bounce rotation, compared to the Tigers' seven.

Alastair Clarkson and his coaches clearly opted to spread the load amongst the Hawks with Burgoyne's 16 attendances trailed by Jaeger O'Meara, Ben McEvoy (13 each), Tom Mitchell (12), James Worpel (10), Jonathon Ceglar and Liam Shiels (10 each).

This was in contrast to the Tigers, who opted for a quartet of Martin, Dion Prestia (18 each), Trent Cotchin (16) and Toby Nankervis (14) for the bulk of the game.

Is there a right or wrong way to go about this area of the game?

Probably not.

But it's an interesting area of the game to keep an eye on as the Hawks progress through the 2021 season.