Player Watch #50 Marlion Pickett Retirement

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Just thought he had opportunities to make Geelol pay and let it slip

Couple of almost markes a few times he just didnt look like he made the right choice and was easy out for the cats from the backline

I love Marlion but didnt believe it was 1 of his better games

Definitely an “ almost “ game. Could have been quite spectacular.
 

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My biggest issue with Marlion is that he stands still while waiting to mark the ball. He needs to run at it. Constantly gets intercepted before he can mark it.
Marking contests are a weakness of his , he just doesn’t compete like he should . I can see why he’s been used deep as he likes to hit the contest hard and will have defenders very nervous , for lack of any other stand our options I feel it’s worth persevering with
 
What's all the chat that his son's are gun footballers? Aren't they only in primary school or something?
They are always at punt rd with their dad and always have a ball in their hands and doing crazy things for kids their age
Genetics , Being around the club and around footballers , and pretty much having a ready coach at a such a young age gives kids like these a massive advantage . Marlion (11) Latrell (10) Levi (4) and a girl Shaniquae (6)
 
I’ve liked Marlion up forward. He has a great leap and loves a contest. As he gets more used to the role, I think his kicking into the 50 with prove useful.

There was just a couple times where you see him not chase a defender going for a quick one two but I’m sure the coaching stafff will be all over that.

Think this will be a very important move for 2023.
Disagree. To me he"s not a forward and 10x better than Ross on the wing.
If he's not on a wing, then he's better in the guts than forward. Happy to be wrong if the stats show otherwise - ie like George of old, he did things there on the weekend I couldn't see.
 
Disagree. To me he"s not a forward and 10x better than Ross on the wing.
If he's not on a wing, then he's better in the guts than forward. Happy to be wrong if the stats show otherwise - ie like George of old, he did things there on the weekend I couldn't see.
Correct. Was watching him and thinking what on earth is he playing up there for? Was a nothing game from him (not his Fault) as I can't remember anything of importance he did. How are others reading that game of his I don't get than I guess I could never get George lol.
 
They are always at punt rd with their dad and always have a ball in their hands and doing crazy things for kids their age
Genetics , Being around the club and around footballers , and pretty much having a ready coach at a such a young age gives kids like these a massive advantage . Marlion (11) Latrell (10) Levi (4) and a girl Shaniquae (6)
Latrell that’s pretty cool, wonder if he got a signed jumper when the Rabbitohs trained at Punt rd
 
I thought he played well against the Cats. I think he appears to play better 'Live' than on TV. He plays very tall for his height.

Going to take MOTY, surely.
 
Correct. Was watching him and thinking what on earth is he playing up there for? Was a nothing game from him (not his Fault) as I can't remember anything of importance he did. How are others reading that game of his I don't get than I guess I could never get George lol.

Given our biggest weakness all year has been Fwd 50 intercept marks, I thought his role was to crash everything and get the ball to ground which he did perfectly bar one contest which was 2v1 anyway
 

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Correct. Was watching him and thinking what on earth is he playing up there for? Was a nothing game from him (not his Fault) as I can't remember anything of importance he did. How are others reading that game of his I don't get than I guess I could never get George lol.
I thought the same the week before, and the week before that. Even posted it in our Tiger group chat that he's being wasted in the forward line.

But it's clear to me now that he's been assigned the really important role of disallowing oppo intercept marks and easy rebound out of our 50. I think Dimma has sacrificed Marlion's usually dependability on the wing for the greater good, knowing we have others like Jack Ross, Macca, Shorty and Hugo R-S who can run the outside corridors.

I'd imagine that Dimma is delighted with what Marlion is bringing to the table in this respect.

I've no doubt too that if Lynchy was available this weekend, Marlion would be back out on a wing immediately, and Jack Ross would be a sub again.
 
Played his role to perfection against Geelong. Got a hand in when it looked like an easy intercept mark and brought the ball to ground many times. Great closing speed, fearless and is always dangerous if the ball hangs a fraction too long in the air. Stays on his feet after marking contests (similar to Shai) and can make second and third efforts.

Ross is neat on the wing. Marlion is invaluable in our forward line. Loved it.
 
Disagree. To me he"s not a forward and 10x better than Ross on the wing.
If he's not on a wing, then he's better in the guts than forward. Happy to be wrong if the stats show otherwise - ie like George of old, he did things there on the weekend I couldn't see.
10 x , cut it out , I haven’t missed a game this year and would give both he and macca 4/10 . At a min right now Ross is equal of pickets output with some continuity I expect will be well in front
Now I’ll prepare myself for the abstract bs that MP been killing it all year , happy to leave him in FP he should do a good job for us there
 
Given our biggest weakness all year has been Fwd 50 intercept marks, I thought his role was to crash everything and get the ball to ground which he did perfectly bar one contest which was 2v1 anyway
That explains why he has been poor the last few games.:think:
 

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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”
 

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Player Watch #50 Marlion Pickett Retirement

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