Marlion Pickett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marlion Pickett
Pickett in the 2019 AFL Grand Final Parade
Personal information
Date of birth	(1992-01-06) 6 January 1992 (age 33)
Place of birth	Perth, Western Australia
Original team	(WAFL)
Draft	No. 13, 2019 mid-season rookie draft
Debut	Grand Final, 2019, Richmond v. Greater Western Sydney, at MCG
Position(s)	Midfielder / half-back
Club information
Current club	Richmond
Number	50
Career highlights
AFL 2× AFL premiership player: 2019, 2020 State league VFL premiership player: 2019 Norm Goss Medal: 2019 best and fairest: 2018 WAFL Team of the Year: 2018

Marlion Pickett (born 6 January 1992) is a former professional Australian rules footballer. He played for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Pickett was drafted by Richmond in 2019. He was 27 years old at the time. Before joining the AFL, he played for six and a half seasons with in the West Australian Football League. There, he even won a club award for being the best and fairest player.

In 2019, Pickett won the Norm Goss Memorial Medal. This award is for the best player in the VFL Grand Final. He then made his AFL debut in a winning Grand Final just one week later. He was the first player in 67 years to play his first game in a VFL/AFL Grand Final. He was also the first to win a premiership in his first game since 1926. Pickett became a two-time premiership winner with Richmond in 2020. This amazing achievement came in only his 20th AFL game.

Pickett is currently playing for the Tiwi Island Bombers. This team is in the Northern Territory Football League. He has helped them improve a lot and reach the finals.

Marlion Pickett's Early Life

Pickett was born in Perth in January 1992. His parents are Thomas Pickett and Angela Smith. He is the third of seven children. Marlion is a Noongar Aboriginal Australian man. He spent his early childhood in Perth.

Marlion started playing football at age seven. He played with his older brother in the under 9s division. This was for the Puma Panthers in Balga. When he was 11, his family moved to Manjimup. There, he played junior football for the Manjimup Tigers. He even won a Colts premiership with them at 14.

He returned to Perth at age 15 in 2007. He settled in Eden Hill. He played football with the Nollamara Junior Football Club. He also played for an Indigenous club called Koongamia. Marlion faced some tough challenges during his teenage years. He worked hard to overcome these difficulties.

After leaving school at 16, he continued playing football. He played for the York Roos in the Avon Football Association at age 17. Marlion showed great determination to keep playing football.

Playing in the State League

Pickett was released from jail at age 21 in June 2013. He had served 30 months of his sentence. He immediately started training with West Australian Football League (WAFL) club South Fremantle. His older brother, Tommy, had played there before.

He signed with the club almost right away. He played his first reserves game in late June 2013. He had 15 disposals and kicked two goals. Within two months, he made his senior WAFL debut. He kicked three goals and had 26 disposals. Pickett was part of the club's reserves-grade premiership win that season.

By 2014, Pickett was a senior player. In 2015, he moved to the half-back line. He was chosen for the WAFL/Western Australia representative team. He also finished third in South Fremantle's best and fairest award. In 2016, he was again selected for the state team. He finished second in South Fremantle's best and fairest count.

In 2018, Pickett moved into a midfield role. This was after his teammate Tim Kelly joined the AFL. Pickett was often named among South Fremantle's best players. He won the club's best and fairest award that year. He was also named to the WAFL Team of the Year. He averaged 21.8 disposals per game. He had a great performance in the finals series. He kicked four goals and had 26 disposals in one game.

After the 2018 WAFL season, AFL clubs noticed Pickett. These included Gold Coast, Geelong, and West Coast. He was expected to be drafted. However, he was not picked by any AFL clubs that year.

Before the 2019 WAFL season, Pickett was called the fourth-best player in the competition. He broke his finger in a practice match. This meant he missed the start of the season. In May 2019, while recovering, he met with recruiters from Essendon and Richmond. He also had an AFL medical check-up.

He returned to play that same month. But he re-broke the same finger in his second game back. This happened just days before the mid-season draft. Pickett had played 98 games and kicked 37 goals for South Fremantle. This was over six and a half seasons in the WAFL.

Marlion Pickett's AFL Journey

Starting in 2019

Pickett was drafted by Richmond in May 2019. He was the 13th pick overall in the 2019 mid-season rookie draft. A spot opened up on the team after Shaun Grigg retired. Grigg was a premiership player for the Tigers in 2017. He later presented Pickett with his first game guernsey for the Grand Final.

Pickett worked on his fitness while recovering from his injury. He joined the club's rehab group. He started full training in late July. He made his debut for Richmond's VFL (reserves) team in early August. He kicked one goal and had 20 disposals. Pickett was named an AFL-level emergency for the next two weeks. But he continued to play in the reserves as a midfielder and half-back.

He stayed with the reserves for their VFL finals. He kicked two goals and had 21 disposals in a win. Pickett was again an AFL emergency for the qualifying final. He then had 16 disposals and seven tackles in a VFL preliminary final win.

He missed out on AFL selection for the top-league preliminary final. But he played in the VFL Grand Final that same weekend. Richmond's VFL team won their first premiership since 1997. Pickett had 19 disposals, nine tackles, and a goal. He was named the best player on the ground. He won the Norm Goss Memorial Medal for his performance.

Grand Final Debut

The next week, Pickett became a possible AFL selection. He could replace injured midfielder Jack Graham. When Graham was ruled out, Pickett was chosen to make his debut. This was in the 2019 AFL Grand Final against Greater Western Sydney. He became only the sixth player ever to debut in a VFL or AFL Grand Final. The last player to do this was Keith Batchelor in 1952.

Pickett helped his team win by 89 points in the Grand Final. He also became the first player to win a premiership in his debut game since 1926. He was one of the best players in the game. He finished third in the Norm Smith Medal voting. He had 22 disposals and kicked his first AFL goal. His season ended with one AFL match and six VFL matches. He won premierships at both levels.

Pickett was later featured in the TV show Australian Story. He said his goal celebration was for loved ones who had passed away. He pointed to the sky to remember them.

2020 Season Success

In the 2019/20 off-season, Pickett became a Richmond life member. This was for playing in the 2019 premiership team. He trained hard in the pre-season. He kept his spot in the team for the first two pre-season matches. He was then selected for the season-opening match against Carlton.

Pickett had 14 disposals and five tackles in the win. This game was played under special rules because of the coronavirus pandemic. There were no crowds. Quarter lengths were shorter. Just three days later, the AFL suspended the season.

The season restarted in early June. Pickett had seven disposals in a draw with Collingwood. He was quiet again in round 3. He was then left out of the team for round 4. He played in unofficial games because the VFL season was cancelled. He earned an AFL recall in round 6. He then played on the wing in late July and early August. He had two games with 14 disposals and one goal.

Pickett had career-best numbers in a game against Essendon. He had six marks and nine inside-50s. He also gained 602 metres. He received one Coaches Association Award vote for a game with 19 disposals. Pickett played well in the finals series. He had 12 disposals in a qualifying final loss. His coach praised his defensive efforts in a semi-final win. He then had 13 disposals in a preliminary final.

One week later, Pickett became a two-time AFL premiership player. This was in only his 20th AFL game. Richmond beat Geelong to win their second premiership in a row. He had 14 disposals in the win. He was praised for helping his teammates in defense. He played 19 of 21 possible games that season. He finished 18th in the club's best and fairest count.

In November, Pickett signed a two-year contract extension. This meant he would stay at Richmond until 2022.

Later Seasons (2021–2024)

In October 2020, Pickett re-signed with Richmond for two years.

In the 2022 season, Pickett averaged a career-high 16 disposals. In August 2022, he re-signed with Richmond for the 2023 season.

In the 2023 season, Pickett played a career-high 21 games. He sometimes played as a key forward or ruck.

In the 2024 season, Pickett played every game for the first 12 matches. He then had a calf injury against Geelong. After two VFL matches, Pickett returned for Richmond's final game. In August 2024, Pickett announced he was retiring from the AFL. He played six seasons with the Tigers. He finished with 91 career games.

How Marlion Pickett Plays

Pickett mainly plays as a wingman. He sometimes plays as an inside midfielder. In his state-league career, he also played as a half-back. In his first AFL game, he played as an inside midfielder and half-forward. But since 2020, he has mostly been a dedicated winger.

He has a great mix of skills. He is good at winning the ball in contested situations. He also has speed and calmness when carrying the ball in open play. He also has a strong vertical leap.

AFL Statistics

Updated to the end of opening round, 2024.

Notes

Awards and Achievements

AFL

• 2× AFL premiership player: 2019, 2020
• Richmond Football Club life member 2020.

VFL

• VFL premiership player: 2019
• Norm Goss Memorial Medal: 2019

WAFL

• South Fremantle best & fairest: 2018
• Western Australia state-league game representative: 2015, 2016

Marlion Pickett's Family Life

Pickett is a Noongar Aboriginal Australian man.

His father is a cousin to former AFL player Byron Pickett. Byron played for North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, and Melbourne.

Marlion has four children with his partner, Jess Nannup. They met and started dating when he was 16.