Jake MichaelsMar 18, 2026, 06:40 AM

CloseJake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who has worked for ESPN since 2013. He primarily writes on the AFL, but his assignments have taken him all around the world, covering everything from Formula One to Grand Slam tennis, championship boxing to international basketball, and the Olympic Games.

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Each week of the 2026 AFL season, ESPN.com.au’s Jake Michaels looks at six talking points.

This week’s Six Points features the greed of fully-ticketed games, Sydney’s correct Errol Gulden call, the less-than-perfect record of Scott Pendlebury nobody tells you about, and Patrick Cripps making a claim to being the league’s worst shot for goal.

1. Let’s scrap this fully-ticketed games nonsense

Picture this: you’re a paid-up AFL club member who has waited all summer for footy to return, only to then be told you’ve got to fork out an additional $70 to attend your club’s season-opening home game, one that’s supposed to be included in your general admission membership. For a couple, that’s another $140. For a family of four, an extra $280!

Yep, it’s a complete and utter joke.

Unsurprisingly, the AFL has come under fire from footy fans in the wake of the league, along with several of its clubs, opting to enforce fully-ticketed games. It means members are required to pay more to reserve seats at home games that are expected to be in high demand.

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The Round 1 Carlton-Richmond and Essendon-Hawthorn games were declared fully-ticketed, as was the Opening Round St Kilda-Collingwood clash. The Saints game fell short of 83,000, while the two games this past weekend failed to hit 75,000, as footy fans voted with their wallets and opted instead to watch on television.

Put simply, it’s a shocking look for the league, which may not have the executive decision in determining which games are to be fully-ticketed, but still has a duty in overseeing the competition. The kicker? The AFL is forever preaching that it puts the fans first. This is nothing more than a slap in the face to those very same fans.

The major issue with fully-ticketed games is that it’s currently all discretionary based. There is no hard and fast rule as to when it should be implemented, meaning it can be easy to overestimate how in-demand a game may be. I’m not saying no game should ever be fully-ticketed, but perhaps it’s something that’s reserved exclusively for finals. What’s wrong with the home and away season simply being a first-in-best-dressed type arrangement?

Fortunately, no games across the next two weeks are to be fully-ticketed. But expect this to pop again ahead of Anzac Day, and perhaps a few other times throughout the 2026 season.

Andrew Dillon has come under fire in the wake of several AFL games being fully-ticketed. Mark Kolbe/AFL Photos/via Getty Images2. Sydney made the right call sending Errol Gulden for surgery

You’ve really got to feel for Errol Gulden. The star Swan, and my 23rd-ranked player in the AFL, missed the bulk of last season with a fractured fibula and will now be sidelined for at least four months after undergoing shoulder surgery.

The Swans announced the decision on Monday afternoon, less than 48 hours after Gulden had suffered a dislocation during his side’s Round 1 win over Brisbane. And while it is undoubtedly a devastating loss for a club that’s well and truly in the premiership mix, I’m convinced Sydney has made the right call at the right time.

We’ve seen players attempt to play through similar injuries in the past and it often results in recurring shoulder dislocations, worsening injuries, and a dip in production. Think Josh Dunkley at the Bulldogs in 2021. The Swans have already banked two wins, look a much improved side from last year, and have a far friendlier fixture than it did 12 months ago. Four months takes us to mid-July, meaning that after successful surgery Gulden could return for the final six or seven games of the home and away season, offering a prime window for him to ramp up ahead of finals.

Had Sydney declined the surgery and rolled the dice on Gulden’s health it would only be taking a major, unnecessary risk. Perhaps we get to this time next month and his shoulder pops again. Heading for surgery at that point would give him barely any time to prepare for a September campaign. If there was any injury setback during his rehabilitation, his season would almost certainly be over.

Nobody ever wants to see a star of the game on the sidelines, and four months is a tough price to pay, but taking the hit now may just prove to be a successful call for the Swans in 2026.

Errol Gulden of the Swans is set to miss four months of football. Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images3. Why I’m not at all worried about Brisbane

The all conquering Lions are 0-2 and, of course, panic alarms have begun ringing out. But you know what, I’m not worried one iota.

Brisbane has been the class of the competition for basically three years and on paper looks as good as it ever has during the Chris Fagan era. Losses to the Western Bulldogs and Sydney are hardly catastrophic, as few would be surprised should both of those clubs finish the year inside the top four.

We also mustn’t gloss over the Lions’ omissions. Skipper Harris Andrews, reliable defender Darcy Gardiner, and Zac Bailey all missed against the Swans game through suspension, while co-captain Hugh McCluggage (calf) and Logan Morris (hand) also sat out the loss. Don’t forget offseason recruit and ace in the pack Sam Draper, who won’t be ready to suit up until around midyear.

In 2024, the Lions began the year 0-3, fell to 2-5, and still won the flag from outside the top four. Last year, it won just two games from mid-March to late April and cruised to back-to-back premierships. History is telling us you’d be a fool to worry about this club, especially this early into the season.

Brisbane is on the bye this week and then face the struggling Saints before a date with Collingwood at the Gabba, North Melbourne during Gather Round, and then Melbourne. Blink and they might just be 4-2 and firmly back on track for that threepeat.

4. Spare me on the Scott Pendlebury ‘good record’ narrative

What have you heard more over the years: Scott Pendlebury has a basketball background, or the Collingwood superstar is a good bloke with an impeccable record?

There’s two issues I’d like to address here in the wake of Pendlebury being slapped with a one-game suspension for a high hit on Adelaide’s Josh Worrell, which was ultimately downgraded to a $3,000 fine after a two-hour AFL Tribunal hearing on Tuesday evening.

First, I’m sorry, but your prior clean record should count for absolutely nothing if you eventually have an indiscretion. The penalty is the penalty for a reason. Enough said. Tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson claimed the 427-gamer great didn’t have his suspension downgraded because of his record, but rather on the grounds of a ‘compelling and exceptional circumstances’ provision. Huh?!

Now to the second point. Does Pendlebury really have the squeaky clean record everyone seems to believe? Sure, he still hasn’t been suspended, but did you know that since 2022 he’s been fined five times, totaling $13,600? Once for rough conduct, once for striking, once for tripping, and once for careless contact with an umpire. And now this one. In what world is that a great record!

Don’t get me wrong, Pendlebury is obviously a champion player and I didn’t think his hit on Worrell deserved a suspension, but this idea he’s untouchable because of an unprecedented track record that actually doesn’t exist is simply laughable.

Scott Pendlebury in action against the Saints in Opening Round. Daniel Pockett/Getty Images5. Something quirky I noticed

He may be a modern day great, but Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps has never been the deadliest nor the most reliable around goal.

In 2024, Cripps looked to have turned a corner when he booted 17.6 for the year, helping him to a record-obliterating 45 Brownlow Medal vote haul. But since then, things have taken a turn for the worst and Cripps once again looks void of confidence and answers in front of the big sticks. On this week’s episode of the ESPN Footy Podcast, after Cripps booted another 0.3, the team posed the question as to whether the Blues skipper is the worst shot for goal in the entire competition. It sounds truly insane, but is it?

Since the beginning of last year, Cripps has had 45 shots at goal. From those attempts, he’s kicked 14 goals, 21 behinds, and missed everything 10 times. According to Champion Data, his expected accuracy in that time is -15.3%, the eighth-worst of 329 qualifying players. But it gets even more grim. During that same period, Cripps’ total expected score is -36.1 points, the third-worst of any player in the entire competition, but crucially behind two forwards (Tom Lynch and Charlie Cameron) with at least 28 more shots! So he might actually be the worst shot at goal in the league!

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6. My favourite stat of the week

Is footy better today? Or was it in fact better in the 1990s? If you’re a fan of free-flowing, high-scoring football, then perhaps your answer should be the footy of today.

With an average pressure factor of 170.8, this past round was the lowest in Champion Data history for pressure applied! Scoring is also up. The average of 96.1 points per team to begin the season is the highest scoring two week period in nine years.