66 Facts About Marlion Pickett

Marlion Pickett was born on 6 January 1992 and is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League.

At age 27 and after a six and a half season career with South Fremantle in the West Australian Football League which included a club best and fairest award, Pickett was drafted by Richmond with the 13th selection in the 2019 mid-season rookie draft.

Marlion Pickett won the Norm Goss Memorial Medal as best on ground during Richmond's reserves side's premiership in 2019 before making his debut in a victorious AFL grand final the following week.

Marlion Pickett became a two-time premiership winner with Richmond's grand final victory in 2020, earning the second honour in just his 20th game at AFL level.

Marlion Pickett was born in Perth in January 1992 to parents Thomas Marlion Pickett and Angela Smith.

The third of seven children, Marlion Pickett spent his early childhood in the northern suburbs of Perth.

Marlion Pickett was raised in difficult circumstances, witnessing family violence and drug and alcohol abuse within his immediate and extended family, while experiencing food insecurity due to his parents being out of work and supported entirely by welfare.

Marlion Pickett first played football at age seven, playing alongside his older brother in the under 9s division at the Puma Panthers in Balga.

At age 11, Marlion Pickett's family relocated to the south-west regional Western Australian town of Manjimup, where he played junior football for the Manjimup Tigers, including in a Colts premiership for the side at 14 years of age.

Marlion Pickett returned to Perth at age 15 in 2007, settling in Eden Hill in the city's north.

Marlion Pickett experienced racial abuse at the hands of teammates while at Nollamara and sat out a junior grand final in protest of his club's failure to act on the issue, before departing the club entirely.

Later in 2007, Marlion Pickett was involved in a brawl alongside family members in the northern suburb of Bassendean and was charged with committing grievous bodily harm.

Marlion Pickett was convicted for both the grievously bodily harm and robbery charges and served a six month juvenile detention sentence at Rangeview Remand Centre in Murdoch.

Marlion Pickett resumed football with Koongamia, but was unable to find work, instead being charged with more criminal offences including driving without a licence and burglary.

Marlion Pickett began burgling local cars to fund the habit.

Marlion Pickett was charged and found guilty of 17 counts of burglary and one count of aggravated burglary.

Marlion Pickett was sentenced to one month imprisonment for each count of burglary, each served concurrently, and 18 months for the aggravatedly burglary, for a total of two and half years imprisonment.

Marlion Pickett served the first portion of his sentence at Acacia Prison in Wooroloo, where he suffered from serious mental health episodes and attempted suicide on four occasions.

Marlion Pickett struggled with the un-structured environment of the prison farm, staging a drugs infraction to force a move to the main prison campus for the remainder of his sentence.

Marlion Pickett was charged with four counts of aggravated burglary, three counts of stealing and three counts of criminal damage.

Marlion Pickett was released from jail at age 21 in June 2013, after serving the full 30 months of his sentence.

Marlion Pickett immediately took up an offer to train with West Australian Football League club South Fremantle at the insistence of his elder brother Tommy, who had been a reserves player there in 2012.

Marlion Pickett was signed to the club's list almost immediately and played his first reserves grade game in late June 2013, two weeks after his release, where he recorded 15 disposals and two goals.

Marlion Pickett spent the remainder of the season playing on the wing and at half-forward and was a member of the club's reserves-grade premiership victory that season after the senior side failed to qualify for finals.

Marlion Pickett was a senior player by round 1,2014, but finished the year in the reserves side after a form slump in the middle of the year cause by opposition tagging and a later positional shift to the forward line.

Marlion Pickett played in all but two matches in South Fremantle's 2017 home and away season, before contributing to the clubs preliminary finals run.

Marlion Pickett was regularly named by The West Australian as among South Fremantle's best players in matches that year and finished the season having won the club's best and fairest award and being named to the WAFL Team of the Year while averaging 21.8 disposals per game.

Marlion Pickett contributed a stand-out performance in that season's finals series, recording four goals and 26 disposals in a qualifying final against West Perth and 25 disposals and two goals in a semi-final against Subiaco.

Marlion Pickett was ultimately passed over by all AFL clubs in both the national and rookie drafts that year.

Marlion Pickett was tough around the ball, but in space he would glide across the ground.

Marlion Pickett failed to play a match in the early part of the season however, after suffering a broken finger in a practice match one week before round 1.

In May 2019 while rehabilitating the injury, Marlion Pickett met with Essendon and Richmond recruiters and underwent an AFL medical screening prior to the upcoming mid-season draft.

Marlion Pickett made a return to play that same month, but suffered a re-break of the same finger in his second game back and just days before the mid-season draft.

Marlion Pickett underwent emergency surgery on the night of the injury, with Essendon telling his management they were no longer interested in drafting him mid-season.

Marlion Pickett had played 98 games and kicked 37 goals for South Fremantle over six and a half seasons in the WAFL.

Marlion Pickett was drafted by Richmond with the club's first selection and 13th pick overall in the 2019 mid-season rookie draft in late May 2019 after the retirement of Shaun Grigg, one of the Tigers' 2017 premiership players and the one who ultimately presented Marlion Pickett with his first match guernsey for the Grand Final, opened a spot on their list.

Marlion Pickett participated in aerobic conditioning work throughout the first three weeks of his injury rehabilitation, joining the club's rehab group under the guidance of injured captain Trent Cotchin.

Marlion Pickett was named an AFL-level emergency in each of the following two weeks, but ultimately played each week in the reserves in a dual role as a midfielder and half-back.

Marlion Pickett remained with the reserves into their VFL finals campaign, kicking two goals and recording 21 disposals in a qualifying final win over Essendon.

Marlion Pickett was named as an AFL emergency the following week for the qualifying final against Brisbane, before contributing 16 disposals and seven tackles in a VFL preliminary final win over Port Melbourne.

Marlion Pickett again missed out on AFL selection in the club's top-league preliminary final against Geelong a week later, but did play in the VFL grand final that same weekend against Williamstown.

In what earned the club its first reserves premiership since 1997, Marlion Pickett recorded 19 disposals, nine tackles and a goal in a best-on-ground performance that saw him awarded the Norm Goss Memorial Medal.

Marlion Pickett's having a shot at goal and the murmur that is going around.

When Graham was officially ruled out, Marlion Pickett was called up to make his debut in the 2019 AFL Grand Final against Greater Western Sydney, becoming just the sixth player and the first since Keith Batchelor for Collingwood in 1952 to make his first-team debut in a VFL or AFL Grand Final.

When he helped to his side to a 89-point victory in that Grand Final, Marlion Pickett became the first player to win a premiership in his debut game since Francis Vine with Melbourne in 1926.

Marlion Pickett was among the best players on the ground in the win, finishing third in the Norm Smith Medal voting with four votes behind teammates Bachar Houli and unanimous winner Dustin Martin, after a performance which included 22 disposals and his debut AFL goal off a set shot with 12 minutes played in the third quarter.

Marlion Pickett was later profiled in Australian Story following the Grand Final.

Marlion Pickett completed a full load of pre-season training and maintained a place in the club's best 22 through each of its two pre-season series matches, before earning selection in the season-opening match against Carlton.

Marlion Pickett recorded 14 disposals and an equal match-high five tackles in the win, played under extraordinary conditions imposed on the league as a result of the rapid progression of the coronavirus pandemic into Australia.

Marlion Pickett was again subdued with 10 disposals in round 3, before being omitted from the club's round 4 side.

Marlion Pickett played one further reserves match the following week before the main playing group was relocated to the Gold Coast in response to a virus outbreak in Melbourne.

Marlion Pickett posted then career-bests in marks, inside-50s, metres gained and uncontested possessions in Richmond's round 13 Dreamtime in Darwin win over Essendon, before earning one Coaches Association Award vote in round 15 for a performance that included 19 disposals and four score involvements.

Marlion Pickett turned in modest performances when the finals series began, adding 12 disposals in a first-up qualifying final loss to the Brisbane Lions.

Marlion Pickett was praised by coach Damien Hardwick for his defensive efforts in a semi-final win over St Kilda a week later, before improving his offensive game with 13 deposals in a preliminary final against Port Adelaide in the third week of the finals.

One week later, Marlion Pickett became a two-time AFL premiership player in just his 20th appearance, as Richmond defeated Geelong at the Gabba to claim a second successive premiership.

Marlion Pickett contributed 14 disposals in the win and was praised by AFL Media for his dedication to push back from the wing into defensive 50 to assist his teammates' defensive efforts.

Marlion Pickett finished the season having played 19 of a possible 21 games, placing 18th in the club's best and fairest count.

In October 2020, Marlion Pickett re-signed with Richmond on a two-year deal.

Marlion Pickett plays as a wing and occasionally as an inside midfielder, but previously played as a half-back during a long state-league career.

Marlion Pickett has a combination skill set that makes him good at winning contested possessions inside stoppage contests but with the speed and poise for ball carrying in uncontested contests, as well as a strong vertical leap.

Marlion Pickett's father is cousin to former North Melbourne, Port Adelaide and Melbourne player Byron Pickett.

Marlion Pickett was convicted of grievous bodily harm and spent time in youth detention as a 15 year old.

Marlion Pickett was imprisoned between 2010 and 2013 for multiple criminal offences including burglary.

Marlion Pickett has four children with partner Jess Nannup, whom he met and began dating at age 16.

In June 2023, Marlion Pickett was arrested for multiple burglary cases that allegedly took place between December 2022 and January 2023.

Marlion Pickett appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on 12 June 2023 for a remand hearing.