Player Watch #50 Marlion Pickett

[Meteoric Rise]

AFL 2023: Marlion Pickett on social media abuse, giving away free kicks and his future at Richmond​

Richmond’s Marlion Pickett says he hasn’t looked back since switching off social media. Plus how he feels about a new role and what his future holds beyond this year.

You can still find Marlion Pickett’s account on Instagram.
His handle – @pickett_marls50 – has more than 17,000 followers and is often tagged by Richmond’s own account, as well as fans and other AFL pages.


But Pickett doesn’t see himself tagged in such posts, and there is nothing to see on his account anymore.

He has deleted all of his old posts and even ditched his profile picture after swearing off social media.

Like many Indigenous AFL players, he was targeted with racist remarks too many times.

“I tried to delete it (Instagram) completely but it’s still up there,” Pickett said.

“I’ve got no social media now, which is really cool. Private life’s a good life.

“It kind of just distracted me from what I needed to do and focus on. A lot of messages came from outside the footy club, which weren’t too great. So I just wanted to scrap all that.”

View attachment 1690868


Pickett doesn’t think all other AFL players should have to do the same, but instead believes that social media companies need to do more to limit racial abuse.

“When is it going to stop?” he said.

“Instagram and Facebook should make it so that if you open an account you should use verified IDs so they can track them down. Too many people were making fake accounts up and not getting caught, which is a bit sad.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to get rid of racism. There’s always going to be a few people that still do it. But I think the AFL has come a long way since the Nicky Winmar stand.”

In his fifth season at Punt Rd, Pickett is preparing for his first Dreamtime game at the MCG on Saturday night, where his background and culture will be celebrated.

The two-time premiership player famously performed a powerful pre-game war dance with his Richmond teammates last year, but then spent the rest of the evening in the stands after being suspended for a high bump on Hawthorn’s Dylan Moore a week earlier.

It was a double blow, given Pickett and his partner, Jessica Nannup, had designed the Tigers’ Dreamtime jumper last season.

“It kind of did hurt,” Pickett said of the suspension.

“I was really looking forward to that game and the family were also. But I still played my part and still represented the club.”

View attachment 1690869

The bump on Moore did not result in a free kick against Pickett at the time, but he has been known for giving away a few frees given the tough way he plays the game.

In 2021, Pickett recorded 34 free kicks against – an average of 1.9 a game – which ranked him among the worst offenders in the competition.

However, this season he has dropped that figure to an average of 1.2 free kicks against per game, much to the delight of coach Damien Hardwick.

“He (Hardwick) likes me playing on the edge, but he wanted me backing off a little bit on the free kick part,” Pickett said.

“I’ve been up there in the high tackle free kicks, so it’s about trying to get low and sticking them instead of staying upright and catching them high.

“I don’t want to be known for always leading the free kick count, so it’s a work in progress.”

View attachment 1690871


Pickett has made one wing his own for Richmond in recent years, but found himself in a different role against Geelong last Friday night when he was tasked with playing as a forward.

He found less of the footy than usual, logging just seven disposals, but was only too happy to make the move in what was a second straight Richmond win.

“I’ll play whatever role the team needs me to play,” Pickett said.

“They said to bring some aerial power and play to my strengths. It’s pretty cool that they can trust me in a different role and to come out and execute it.”

Pickett, 31, signed a one-year contract extension for 2023 last year, but is hopeful his remarkable journey will continue for some time yet.

This time 10 years ago, he was still in a Perth jail, serving time on burglary charges.

“I don’t forget where I came from and what made me the person I am today,” Pickett said.

“If it’s my time next year or the year after, it’s my time. I’m just happy I’ve got the opportunity that a lot of people don’t get.”

My favourite Tiger, even among our many loveable team-first characters and our many stars. I love the straight-forward wisdom of his statements in this article. He is a player who focusses solely on what the team needs him to do and does it to the best of his ability. And we picked him up with the 13th pick in a mid-season draft. Marlion Pickett has been a dream recruit for us, just a total gift to the club.

My favourite Marlion stat is probably that he had won as many VFL and AFL Grand Finals within about his first 8 weeks playing for the club as the Collingwood and St Kilda first teams combined had won in the last 64 years. And he buttered up with another one 12 months later to go ahead of them.

Also won the Norm Goss Medal for BOG in the 2019 VFL Grand Final, then a week later backed up with a podium finish in the Norm Smith Medal voting on his AFL debut. I am not sure anybody is ever going to emulate that unique feat.

This man after a poor start to his adult life is a credit to himself, his family, his people, and our football club. When he retires, if a movie is not made about his life, it will be a wasted opportunity.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

My favourite Tiger, even among our many loveable team-first characters and our many stars. I love the straight-forward wisdom of his statements in this article. He is a player who focusses solely on what the team needs him to do and does it to the best of his ability. And we picked him up with the 13th pick in a mid-season draft. Marlion Pickett has been a dream recruit for us, just a total gift to the club.

My favourite Marlion stat is probably that he had won as many VFL and AFL Grand Finals within about his first 8 weeks playing for the club as the Collingwood and St Kilda first teams combined had won in the last 64 years. And he buttered up with another one 12 months later to go ahead of them.

Also won the Norm Goss Medal for BOG in the 2019 VFL Grand Final, then a week later backed up with a podium finish in the Norm Smith Medal voting on his AFL debut. I am not sure anybody is ever going to emulate that unique feat.

This man after a poor start to his adult life is a credit to himself, his family, his people, and our football club. When he retires, if a movie is not made about his life, it will be a wasted opportunity.

YES!!!! And S.Stack can do the Soundtrack!

 

[All Aust]

AFL 2023: Marlion Pickett on social media abuse, giving away free kicks and his future at Richmond​

Richmond’s Marlion Pickett says he hasn’t looked back since switching off social media. Plus how he feels about a new role and what his future holds beyond this year.

You can still find Marlion Pickett’s account on Instagram.
His handle – @pickett_marls50 – has more than 17,000 followers and is often tagged by Richmond’s own account, as well as fans and other AFL pages.


But Pickett doesn’t see himself tagged in such posts, and there is nothing to see on his account anymore.

He has deleted all of his old posts and even ditched his profile picture after swearing off social media.

Like many Indigenous AFL players, he was targeted with racist remarks too many times.

“I tried to delete it (Instagram) completely but it’s still up there,” Pickett said.

“I’ve got no social media now, which is really cool. Private life’s a good life.

“It kind of just distracted me from what I needed to do and focus on. A lot of messages came from outside the footy club, which weren’t too great. So I just wanted to scrap all that.”

View attachment 1690868


Pickett doesn’t think all other AFL players should have to do the same, but instead believes that social media companies need to do more to limit racial abuse.

“When is it going to stop?” he said.

“Instagram and Facebook should make it so that if you open an account you should use verified IDs so they can track them down. Too many people were making fake accounts up and not getting caught, which is a bit sad.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to get rid of racism. There’s always going to be a few people that still do it. But I think the AFL has come a long way since the Nicky Winmar stand.”

In his fifth season at Punt Rd, Pickett is preparing for his first Dreamtime game at the MCG on Saturday night, where his background and culture will be celebrated.

The two-time premiership player famously performed a powerful pre-game war dance with his Richmond teammates last year, but then spent the rest of the evening in the stands after being suspended for a high bump on Hawthorn’s Dylan Moore a week earlier.

It was a double blow, given Pickett and his partner, Jessica Nannup, had designed the Tigers’ Dreamtime jumper last season.

“It kind of did hurt,” Pickett said of the suspension.

“I was really looking forward to that game and the family were also. But I still played my part and still represented the club.”

View attachment 1690869

The bump on Moore did not result in a free kick against Pickett at the time, but he has been known for giving away a few frees given the tough way he plays the game.

In 2021, Pickett recorded 34 free kicks against – an average of 1.9 a game – which ranked him among the worst offenders in the competition.

However, this season he has dropped that figure to an average of 1.2 free kicks against per game, much to the delight of coach Damien Hardwick.

“He (Hardwick) likes me playing on the edge, but he wanted me backing off a little bit on the free kick part,” Pickett said.

“I’ve been up there in the high tackle free kicks, so it’s about trying to get low and sticking them instead of staying upright and catching them high.

“I don’t want to be known for always leading the free kick count, so it’s a work in progress.”

View attachment 1690871


Pickett has made one wing his own for Richmond in recent years, but found himself in a different role against Geelong last Friday night when he was tasked with playing as a forward.

He found less of the footy than usual, logging just seven disposals, but was only too happy to make the move in what was a second straight Richmond win.

“I’ll play whatever role the team needs me to play,” Pickett said.

“They said to bring some aerial power and play to my strengths. It’s pretty cool that they can trust me in a different role and to come out and execute it.”

Pickett, 31, signed a one-year contract extension for 2023 last year, but is hopeful his remarkable journey will continue for some time yet.

This time 10 years ago, he was still in a Perth jail, serving time on burglary charges.

“I don’t forget where I came from and what made me the person I am today,” Pickett said.

“If it’s my time next year or the year after, it’s my time. I’m just happy I’ve got the opportunity that a lot of people don’t get.”

Time to get to the stage denied him last season. Let his team mates help clear the way, but:

#50 Get to the Stage.

 

[Coach_Required]

NO WAY !!

We have 3 guns waiting for Marlion to get to 100 games so they can wear the #50
Son #1 - Gets #50
Son #2 - Gets #05
Son #3 - Gets #55

Can't wait to see his sons run through both Daicos boys.

 

[energyquant]

Pickett has four kids and his eldest two boys, Marlion jnr, who is 13, and Lattrell, 11, play together in the under 13s. They play a bit like Dad, but want to play like Shai. They watch his highlights, so there is no shortage of clips. His boys go OK.

“They could be better than me,” Pickett said. “The older one has got the aggression and speed, the younger one’s got skill, yeah, good around goals. They watch a lot of Shai, Shai’s highlights. Always watching Shai,” he said.

“I’m pretty relaxed [on the sidelines]. I just kind of tell them to work on their work ethic up and back from forward 50.”

The connections between the Indigenous players at Richmond are tight but they also weave between the two clubs playing on Saturday night. Dean Rioli, who is on the Essendon board, is the cousin of Maurice Rioli jnr and Daniel Rioli

17

Daniel Rioli

Age

27

Ht

179cm

Wt

78kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.2

3star

K

5.8

2star

HB

5.4

4star

M

2.7

3star

T

3.2

5star

MG

179.2

3star

D

8.1

2star

K

4.9

2star

HB

3.3

2star

M

2.0

2star

T

2.6

4star

MG

144.9

3star

D

9.0

3star

K

3.8

2star

HB

5.2

4star

M

0.8

1star

T

3.8

5star

MG

160.2

3star

. He also coaches Marlion’s wife Jess at Moonee Valley. She, too, is a handy player.

“It’s a footy weekend,” Pickett said. “She’s pretty good. She’s around the mark. Pretty tough, just gets back up again.”

Their daughter isn’t playing footy yet but is a talented athlete. She’s almost quicker than her older brothers and kicks left foot. She’s eight.

Richmond are quietly keeping a keen eye on Marlion’s mounting games tally.

He’s at 66 (unbidden, a senior Richmond figure reflexively recited the stat). He’ll probably get to 100 games any way, but you sense the club will make absolutely sure there’s no way he doesn’t get to that father-son threshold milestone.

‘All of my mob will be over’: Why Shai Bolton’s feeling at home for Dreamtime

It’s Shai Bolton’s dream Dreamtime, in what will be his 100th game. It will be a packed house ... and there will also be a big crowd at the MCG.

www.theage.com.au

 

[TigerImposter]

What an inspirational human being Is all I can say.

 

[Bojangles17]

We’re lucky to have xav Clarke ,he’s a good man , has he been at RFC since 2017 , if he arrived when shai did then he has

 

[DickieKnee]

So Marlion Jr could be playing for the Tigers is 5 years or so, happy days.

 

[sante]

What a story it is. Heartwarming

 

[GhostofJimJess]

So Marlion Jr could be playing for the Tigers is 5 years or so, happy days.

Just a theoretical - I wonder if the Father/Son rule could be implemented if your father is STILL on an AFL list? Seems logical.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

So Marlion Jr could be playing for the Tigers is 5 years or so, happy days.

Could be playing with his old man too!

 

[Bojangles17]

So Marlion Jr could be playing for the Tigers is 5 years or so, happy days.

It’s called, succession

 

[richoplzbreed]

With Nank back hopefully Marion goes back to the wing or even replaces Hopper in the guts.

 

[Rioli2Rioli]

With Nank back hopefully Marion goes back to the wing or even replaces Hopper in the guts.

Im very happy to leave Marlion at HF and play HRS , Banks , Short or Clarke on the wing
Our foward line needs the mongrel that Marlion brings

 

[DickieKnee]

Im very happy to leave Marlion at HF and play HRS , Banks , Short or Clarke on the wing
Our foward line needs the mongrel that Marlion brings

He's good in the marking contest too, crashes the packs and brings the ball to ground. Was very important to us last week fwd.

 

[Rioli2Rioli]

He's good in the marking contest too, crashes the packs and brings the ball to ground. Was very important to us last week fwd.

He was OK last week but could have been alot better i think
Had many half chances that he didnt take

 

[TigerImposter]

Getting this champion to 100 games is going to be white line fever and exactly how Marion plays, but if we keep playing him forward we will kill his career well before it. Terrible move having him up there.

 

[Rioli2Rioli]

Getting this champion to 100 games is going to be white line fever and exactly how Marion plays, but if we keep playing him forward we will kill his career well before it. Terrible move having him up there.

I think that all depends on what the new coaches directives are for a small foward

If he is directed to play the defensive pressure game with his sole purpose being defence then i agree with your thoughts and he will become a castagna clone of sorts. But if its an attacking role then he could also become our version of Jamie Elliot

 

[TigerImposter]

I think that all depends on what the new coaches directives are for a small foward

If he is directed to play the defensive pressure game with his sole purpose being defence then i agree with your thoughts and he will become a castagna clone of sorts. But if its an attacking role then he could also become our version of Jamie Elliot

I think our small forwards are all too slow. He’s just adding to it with really little input.

 

[Rioli2Rioli]

I think our small forwards are all too slow. He’s just adding to it with really little input.

I dont think you need elite speed to play the small foward role and some of the best small fowards were never elite speed demons
I think its more the type of small foward role he has been assigned to play which is the defensive tackling pressure first style

This role could change once MRJ comes back into the team and would love to see Pickett getting the shackles removed and told kick goals and go for your marks and become more attacking.

 

[A Tiger 4 lyf]

Will be interesting to see what plans will be going forward

Needs to get to 100 games


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[TigerImposter]

I dont think you need elite speed to play the small foward role and some of the best small fowards were never elite speed demons
I think its more the type of small foward role he has been assigned to play which is the defensive tackling pressure first style

This role could change once MRJ comes back into the team and would love to see Pickett getting the shackles removed and told kick goals and go for your marks and become more attacking.

You do and you don’t., but we have too many slow guys up there as it is.

 

[Rioli2Rioli]

You do and you don’t., but we have too many slow guys up there as it is.

Pickett is not elite speed but he certainly isnt slow
Cumberland ? I wouldnt say he is slow
MRJ - Not Slow
Shai ? not slow
Martin ? Not slow but doesnt really need pace

Jack is slow and Ryan isnt slow for a big man

Who would you consider to be 'Slow" ?

Looking at other teams like Geelong , Melbourne , Port , Brisbane , Carlton , Pies
I think our speed is about the same or similar to most and better than Geelong 2022 side for speed

Speed of mind is what counts most imo specially in the foward line but HB / Wing leg speed Kills

 

[TigerImposter]

Pickett is not elite speed but he certainly isnt slow
Cumberland ? I wouldnt say he is slow
MRJ - Not Slow
Shai ? not slow
Martin ? Not slow but doesnt really need pace

Jack is slow and Ryan isnt slow for a big man

Who would you consider to be 'Slow" ?

Looking at other teams like Geelong , Melbourne , Port , Brisbane , Carlton , Pies
I think our speed is about the same or similar to most and better than Geelong 2022 side for speed

Speed of mind is what counts most imo specially in the foward line but HB / Wing leg speed Kills

Two of those guys didn’t play. its the guys we had Saturday night in Cotchin Graham Prestia Pickett and Dusty all rotating through it. Way too slow. MRJ and now a rejuvenated Cumberland are definitely what we need to force these names out of it. The only blokes that look dangerous there are Cotchin and Dusty. We need an extra tall with two genuine fast small forwards plus Dusty and Cotchin . Graham and Prestia should only be there with Clarke on rotations when the others are on the bench. Pickett is lost there and doesnt know the true forward role.

 

[Maurice Mitchell]