Reformed Tiger a beacon for prisoners

A year after his remarkable debut for Richmond in the 2019 grand final, Marlion Pickett will play in a second decider within 20 games

Richmond’s Marlion Pickett is set to become the first footballer to play in two grand finals within 20 games. Picture: Getty Images

From a prison cell to a premiership hero, Marlion Pickett has parlayed one of football’s most remarkable debuts into a role aimed at helping troubled youth find a path towards a better life.

The father of four, who went into the Banksia Hill Detention Centre in Perth aged 15 and spent almost three years in jail, believes he now sets an example that can inspire others.

Through Richmond’s Korin Gamadji Institute, Pickett has set aside hours each week to talk to young people in detention centres in Melbourne about steering away from a life of crime.

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These days it is via an internet connection but the 28-year-old will re-engage in person when out of the AFL hub system.

“Bachar (Houli) has been helping with the Zoom calls and I am getting more comfortable talking to people and getting my story out there and trying to make a change,” Pickett told The Australian.

“I am trying to give younger people a better understanding that there is something to look forward to in life rather than just the same cycle of being in and out of prison, or trying to go down the right path and change habits before you do go to prison.

“It would be different if you had not lived the way they are living, when you are going into prison and talking to these kids about that and trying to help them. Some of them might not look at you the same if you haven’t lived it.”

Korin gamadji translates to “grow and emerge” in English and Pickett’s life is a clear example of this occurring.

The Tigers star will be the first man in VFL/AFL history to play in two grand finals within 20 games.

It is now 13 months since he became the first man since World War II to debut in a grand final. A week earlier he won the Norm Goss Medal as best afield in the VFL grand final.

In Richmond’s 2019 triumph over the Giants, Pickett delivered some magnificent moments, none better than the blind turn in the middle of the MCG in the second term.

Recruited as a mature-aged rookie at 27, it is likely he will effectively play out his career on one-year contracts.

But even playing just one game has been a reward, with Pickett saying he thought the chance had passed him by despite strong form in the WAFL with South Fremantle.

“It means a lot. At one stage, I didn’t think I would be an AFL footballer, but to play in two grand finals is amazing,” Pickett said.

“I am playing every game as though it is my last and leaving everything out there and trying to enjoy the moment.”

Pickett is among the players who have struggled with being away from home in 2020.

His uncle Mark died earlier this month and he contemplated returning to Perth, but was convinced to remain by his father Thomas, who is ill with emphysema.

It has not been the only testing moment in his 16 months with Richmond.

Not long after his arrival at Punt Road in the mid-season draft in 2019, the brother of his partner Jessica Nannup, Sam, took his own life.

As Pickett said last October, the couple has dealt with some significant lows but has always found a way to support each other.

“We’ve been through thick and thin over nearly 13 years. If I didn’t have her in my corner, everything could have gone pear-shaped. She’s the rock of my family,” he told The West Australian.

There are clear benefits to playing football at the highest level. But it also brings pitfalls Pickett could never have comprehended before his rise to fame.

They include the cowards who populate social media and level criticism at athletes. Some of it relates to form. The worst are those who defame and dabble in racism.

“It is poisonous, but you learn from that. Critics are going to criticise. They are going to judge you, even when you do play a good game, about one mistake,” he said.

“I was trying not to get sucked into that. Whatever my coaches are asking of me, I just really think that is all you can honestly do.”

Statistics are far from the sole measure of a player’s worth to their side. Wider appraisal is needed to understand what they add to their team.

Even Pickett, who found the football at will when playing with South Fremantle after being released from jail, found it initially confusing after arriving at Punt Road.

He is averaging 12 disposals a game this year. But similarly to Daniel Rioli, he is not only being selected for the ball he wins, but for his key ability to contribute without it.

Pickett’s running capabilities first came to the fore when, aged 11 and living in Manjimup, he broke longstanding WA primary school records by significant margins in the 400m, 800m and long jump.

Richmond has harnessed the hard-running Pickett and Rioli to patrol the outer wings and flanks.

Their ability to cover ground to shut down avenues for Geelong to switch the football to the other side of the ground will be critical to Richmond’s hopes on Saturday at the Gabba.

“I didn’t know much about role playing before coming to Richmond,” he said.

“On the wing, you don’t get as much ball as you would like to and you can feel a bit down, but when you have your teammates and your coaches pumping you up because you are doing your role, shutting down switches, things like that, it makes you feel better about playing on the wing.”