When Marlion Pickett runs out onto the MCG on Saturday - the first player to debut in a grand final in 67 years – he won’t just be playing for the Richmond Tigers, or the fans. He’ll be playing for his brother.
Seven years ago, the 27-year-old Indigenous midfielder had just been released from jail over a string of burglary offences in Western Australia.
But it was the intervention of his older brother, Tyson, that saw him make that transition from a cell to the footy pitch.
Marlion Pickett of the Tigers holds his daughter Shaniquae during the AFL Grand Final Parade. Source: AAP
“Mixed emotions, all that hard work has paid off,” he said, at Friday’s Grand Final Parade in Melbourne.
“Everyone has supported me and all my hard work - it all paid off – not just for me, but for everyone.”
Pickett has previously revealed his brother’s advice saw him decide to turn his life around following his 2010-2012 imprisonment.
“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,” he told the Herald Sun, after being drafted by the Tigers.
Instead, he was plucked from the WA state league in a mid-season draft by the Tigers and will run out with the senior team for the first time during Richmond’s grand final clash with the GWS Giants on Saturday.
Marlion Pickett will make his AFL debut this weekend, running out for the Tigers. Source: AAP
Early success as youngster saw him to invited to play as a junior with the South Freemantle Bulldogs in 2010 – but his career looked set to be cut short after he was convicted and jailed.
But even inside, Pickett’s talent for footy shone through and he played football with the Wooroloo prison team. Practice and those stern words from his brother saw him bounce back.
He said his brother had wanted to fly in to see him play but “his missus is in labour, he’s having a baby boy”.
Instead, his partner Jessica and parents Thomas and Angela, are flying into Melbourne to watch – along with his children, Marlion Jr, 9, Latrell, 8, Shaniquae, 4, and Levi, 2 will also be on hand.
Pickett credits his big brother with helping turn his life around. Source: AAP
Despite the strangeness around his debut, he said he just wanted to concentrate on the game.
“I will probably just enjoy the moment and block the crowd out, concentrate on my teammates and my team,” he said.
