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          Six Points: The ARC has become the AFL's biggest problem; Showdown needs more respect

          • Jake MichaelsApr 28, 2026, 04:55 PM ET
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              Jake Michaels is a Senior Writer who has been with ESPN for 13 years. He writes on a range of sports and events in Australia and around the world, covering everything from Aussie Rules to Grand Slam tennis, Formula One to boxing, athletics, swimming, and the Olympic Games.
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          Each week of the 2026 AFL season, ESPN.com.au's Jake Michaels looks at six big talking points.

          This week's Six Points feature the controversial ARC review system, an updated 'superstar' list, a look at blowouts, and what I absolutely hate about the Showdown.

          1. The AFL's ARC has gone from the ultimate solution to a major problem

          Technology in sport. We all have a love-hate relationship with it. On the one hand, it exists to improve sport by removing those howler decisions that keep us up at night. And quite often it does just that. But on the flip side, too often these systems become a confusing mess that leads to greater levels of frustration among fans and athletes alike.

          The ARC might have just taken the cake for most infuriating review system in world sport.

          Introduced ahead of the 2019 finals series to help eradicate those aforementioned egregious decisions -- think Tom Hawkins' missed poster in the 2009 Grand Final -- the ARC has become a complete and utter laughing stock. Not only have we been forced to deal with inconsistent application for years, we're now trekking down the slippery slope of overreaching and nitpicking every minor detail, resulting in lengthy delays and mass confusion.

          This past weekend we saw several ARC failures, notably in the GWS-North Melbourne game when the Giants were incorrectly awarded a late goal that helped seal the Kangaroos' fate.

          "In this case, they (the ARC officials) both felt there wasn't sufficient evidence to turn that over, so they went back and said it was the umpire's call," AFL footy boss Greg Swann said on Monday afternoon. "We've had another review of that and you can see that it was touched, so that one was incorrect."

          READ: 'Hasn't been the best week': AFL changes ARC system

          Amazingly, these aren't even the most frustrating ARC interventions; that title has to be reserved for the last-touch, under-the-microscope nonsense that's crept into the game in recent weeks. I mean, what are we doing here? Do we need to be analysing each of these with a fine tooth comb?

          As a wise man once said, "don't let perfect be the enemy of good." The league needs to be reminded of why this technology was first introduced. We can live with a ball that's grazed a toe and trickled over the line not being awarded a last-touch free. We can't live with the constant uncertainty and unnecessary breaks in play, especially when we ultimately land on incorrect decisions.

          When it comes to technology in sport, less is often more. It's time we go back to reviewing only scores.

          2. The definitive list of AFL superstars in 2026

          If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. The 'superstar' tag is the most overused superlative in football.

          So, what exactly is a superstar? A great player, sure, but it's much more than that. How are you viewed by your peers? How are you viewed by the fans? Are you recognisable away from the footy field? You need aura, and for many, longevity. Playing for a powerhouse club certainly helps your case, as does your position on the field. After all, there aren't too many 'superstar' defenders.

          Last year, I claimed there were only 13 bona fide, legitimate superstars in the AFL. The list has now grown to 14. No more, no less. Here are those names, ordered alphabetically:

          MARCUS BONTEMPELLI
          ZAK BUTTERS
          JEREMY CAMERON
          PATRICK CRIPPS
          CHARLIE CURNOW
          NICK DAICOS
          PATRICK DANGERFIELD
          MAX GAWN
          TOBY GREENE
          ISAAC HEENEY
          SCOTT PENDLEBURY
          CHRISTIAN PETRACCA
          LACHIE NEALE
          BAILEY SMITH

          The obvious addition to last year's list was Butters, who is now widely considered a consensus top five player in the game. After that, there's a bunch you can make a case for, including Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Zach Merrett, Chad Warner, Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson, Izak Rankine, Jordan Dawson, and Shai Bolton. None of these players would look out of place on such a list, but I'm just not prepared to elevate them. Not yet. For some of them, it's due to a lack of consistency. For others, they just haven't done it for long enough. And then there are those that are just unfairly penalised for the market they play in.

          So who is the closest to joining? I'll give you two names: Kysaiah Pickett and Sam Darcy. Pickett's body of work over the last 12 months is quite extraordinary and I maintain he's the most improved player in the game, which is saying something given the standard he'd set in the early years of his career. Darcy really needs no introduction. An AFL unicorn. Had he not suffered a devastating season-ending ACL injury a few weeks back he may well have been on this year's list.

          3. Are we getting more blowouts in 2026?

          66. 54. 49. 77. 30. 14. 101. 52. 7.

          These aren't last week's Powerball numbers, rather the margins of victory across the nine games in Round 7. Six of the nine contests across the weekend had a winning margin of at least 49 points, meaning it was one of the least competitive rounds of football in recent memory. It got me wondering, have blowouts become something of a trend? Yeah, sort of ... ish.

          So far this year we've played 108 games. The average winning margin of 34.8 points (so far) is the highest since 2016, when it was 37.9 for the entire season. But how about levels of blowout compared to 12 months ago?

          Interestingly, the 10-goal blowouts actually occurred more frequently through the first two months of last season than this year, albeit only slightly. However, the 40-50 point margin of victory is happening far more often this year. Anyway, file this one under 'random footy thoughts' I had.

          4. Give the Showdown the respect it deserves

          Outside finals and maybe Anzac Day (maybe...), the Showdown is the most anticipated fixture on the footy calendar. It's a game for South Australia, obviously, but these days has widespread appeal for the neutrals. I've made this claim a couple of times over the years and received next to no blowback, which makes me think it's an opinion shared by much of the footy public.

          So, can someone please explain why on earth the AFL refuses to schedule these Showdown clashes in the league's No. 1 timeslot without it overlapping another game?

          Last year, both Showdowns were fixtured for Saturday nights, meaning they overlapped for three quarters with other games. In 2024, one was on a Thursday night (a standalone but non-marquee slot) and the other was Saturday night; again a non-standalone fixture. They've had just one Friday night clash ever, in Showdown 51 in 2022, but that also overlapped with another game.

          This week, the Crows and Power resume their epic rivalry, some 40 minutes after the Bulldogs and Dockers clash has gotten underway at Marvel Stadium. It's rubbish and yet another fixturing blunder by the league.

          It's time the AFL gives the Showdown the primetime, marquee Friday night standalone timeslot the game undoubtedly deserves.

          5. Something quirky I noticed

          The Bulldogs began the year like a house on fire, winning four straight games and building a percentage of 140.38 to establish early premiership favouritism.

          Since then, they've lost star key forward Sam Darcy to a season-ending ACL injury and been beaten in three straight games. Amazingly, all three of those losses have been by at least 40 points.

          It's the first time in V/AFL history -- dating to 1897 -- a team has started a season with four straight wins followed by three 40+ point losses. Talk about a fall from grace...

          6. My favourite stat of the week

          I'd like to give a shoutout to ESPN's very own Mason Cox, who booted his first goal as a Docker on Saturday night at Optus Stadium.

          Cox is now the only player in league history to have kicked his first club goal on Anzac Day ... TWICE! The American famously booted three majors in his Collingwood debut on Anzac Day in 2016 and repeated the achievement exactly 10 years later for Fremantle.