Richmond's Marlion Pickett says his stint in jail was a huge learning curve

Richmond's Marlion Pickett spent two-and-a-half years in jail for a string of offences but now he’s set to make his AFL debut in the Grand Final. He reveals how his time in prison saved him and how he found a purpose in football.

Marlion Pickett is now a Richmond player.

With news Marlion Pickett will make his AFL debut in Saturday's Grand Final, we revisit the Tiger's journey to the AFL, where he was drafted by Richmond in this year's mid-season draft. Below is a story published just after he was drafted.

Richmond draftee Marlion Pickett says football saved him after walking out of a two-and-half year jail sentence in 2013 and signing up for South Fremantle.

The Tigers provided the jaw-dropping moment of the mid-season draft when they signed Pickett despite his troubled past and an 8-10 week finger injury.

Pickett spent 30 months in jail for a string of minor burglary offences but has been open with clubs about how he has changed his life through football.

He told the Herald Sun that everything he did now was for his partner and four young children.

“This means a lot for my family. Everything I do is for my kids and partner so they don’t have to worry about growing up like I did. Everything I do is for them,” he said.

“I have been out since 2013, so the first week I go out I walked into South Fremantle.

“I have been honest with clubs. The past is the past and I can’t change what I have done but I can change who I have become.

Marlion Pickett was playing in the WAFL earlier this year. Picture: Daniel Wilkins

“(Jail) was hard but it was a learning curve. If I didn’t go in there I might have got into worse trouble.

“My older brother was in there and he gave me a talking to. He said you shouldn’t be in here, he gave me a little clip. (To play an AFL game) would mean a lot, to represent my kids and my partner.”

Richmond recruiting manager Matt Clarke said the Tigers would put the right support structures around Pickett as a long-term prospect.

“We are pretty happy to embrace all types of people and cultures and personalities at the footy club. They have still got to fit our mould at the footy club. We think he does,” he said.

“We have liked his talent for quite a while. He has been in the system playing really good senior footy

“Going into the midfield last year with South Freo was a big step up for him and that gave us a bit more confidence to give it a crack. We think he can add to our mix.”

Pickett will make his AFL debut in the Grand Final. Picture: Michael Klein

Richmond’s determination to pick him despite the possibility he won’t play senior football this year shows how much they believe in Pickett.

His manager Anthony Van Der Wielen said he believed Pickett’s hopes had been dashed by Saturday’s injury.

“We have had a lot of interviews with Richmond in the last few weeks and when he went down on Saturday with the finger, we really thought it might have been hard for them,” he said.

“I knew it was a great opportunity for him to get to Melbourne and go through the induction process.

“He is fit as a trout and with his finger he can train really hard. (List manager) Blair Hartley didn’t tell me until 15 minutes before the draft and I still didn’t want to tell Marlion (until his name was read out).”