Premiership hero Marlion Pickett to wait on contract talks with Tigers (Age)

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Premiership hero Pickett to wait on contract talks with Tigers

Daniel Cherny
The Age
February 3, 2020

Overnight sensation Marlion Pickett will look to replicate - or even improve upon - his stunning grand final form before penning a new contract with Richmond.

The mature-age Tigers’ midfielder etched his name into football folklore on the final Saturday in September last year, becoming the first man in 67 years to make his debut in a VFL/AFL grand final, and starring in doing so, with 22 disposals and a goal to earn four votes in Norm Smith Medal counting as his side crushed a dismal Greater Western Sydney outfit.

Pickett, who turned 28 last month, is contracted until the end of the 2020 season, having inked a one-year extension before he played that sole senior game.

Given his extremely unusual circumstances, the West Australian’s market value is arguably harder to quantify than an average player.

His manager Anthony Van Der Wielen flagged that his client would likely begin the season before stepping up contract talks.

“I am in contact with the Richmond football club on a regular basis. We haven’t discussed a contract past 2020 at this stage. Marlion is very happy, he’s fit and healthy and concentrating on nothing more than the season ahead at this stage,” Van Der Wielen told The Age on Sunday.

The father of four was drafted out of South Fremantle at pick No. 13 of the mid-season rookie draft last May but was sidelined for several weeks because of a broken finger before establishing himself in Richmond’s VFL side, including winning the Norm Goss Medal for best afield in the state league grand final, a performance which helped tip the scales in his favour come AFL selection time later that week.

As a premiership player, he also automatically became a Richmond life member late last year.

Essendon interviewed Pickett ahead of the mid-season draft, while Collingwood, Gold Coast and St Kilda had all shown interest in the WAFL star ahead of the previous year’s national draft before ultimately choosing not to take him.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/premiership-hero-pickett-to-wait-on-contract-talks-with-tigers-20200202-p53x0v.html