Byron Pickett (born 11 August 1977) is a former professional

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played for the North Melbourne Football Club, Port Adelaide Football Club and

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL). He was known as a big game player as well as for his strength, hard bumps and tough approach to the game. Pickett is one of 12 players with two premiership medallions, a Norm Smith Medal and over 200 AFL games. In 2005 Pickett was acknowledged as one of the finest Aboriginal players in the history of the game, with his selection to the Indigenous Team of the Century. He announced his retirement from AFL at the end of the 2007 season. After his retirement from the AFL in 2007 he continued playing semi-professionally, including some time with the Port Adelaide Magpies in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). He is the uncle of fellow Melbourne player Kysaiah Pickett. Byron's cousin Thomas was the father of Richmond player Marlion Pickett.

Early life

Born in Kellerberrin in country

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

to Indigenous Australian parents, Byron Pickett grew up in Tammin and then Geraldton, Western Australia before moving to Port Lincoln in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. Pickett played the majority of his junior football for Port Lincoln Football League club Mallee Park, which was also the junior club of leading footballers like Peter and Shaun Burgoyne, Graham Johncock and Daniel Wells. Pickett's skills were identified by South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club Port Adelaide and Pickett began to play in Port's junior sides, making the long trip each weekend to

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. Although Pickett never played higher than the under-19s with Port Adelaide, Port senior coach John Cahill was eager to name Pickett in Port Adelaide's squad for their inaugural

(AFL) season in 1997. However, Pickett, citing homesickness, turned down this offer, although he later nominated for the 1996 AFL Draft, where he was taken by

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne Local government ar ...

AFL career

North Melbourne (1997–2002)

Nicknamed "Choppy", Pickett burst onto the scene in 1997 with the North Melbourne Football Club, playing only one game. However, in 1998 he had a fine year and was rewarded with the Norwich Rising Star award. At only 178 cm and 86 kg, Pickett was not a large Australian Rules player, however he is solidly built and unquestionably tough. Pickett developed a reputation as a 'tough' player for his aggressive attack on the ball, with a frequent tendency to cause opponents serious injuries. Pickett was known for hard bumps and was consequently suspended three times from 2001. In 1999 he played in a premiership team with the Kangaroos, before switching to the club he originally played for in the SANFL, Port Adelaide Football Club, in 2002. In the last days of his playing career with North Melbourne, he famously broke the collarbone of Geelong's Darren Milburn in a hard clash.

Port Adelaide (2003–2005)

He moved to Port Adelaide in 2003, a season in which he kicked 43 goals in 25 games (2nd on the list of top goal kickers in 2003). He was part of Port Adelaide's first ever AFL premiership in 2004, and his 3-goal, 20 possession performance earned him the Norm Smith Medal. At the end of the 2005 season Pickett was traded to , finishing a short but successful stint at Port Adelaide.

Melbourne (2006–2007)

At the end of 2005, Pickett was involved in a trade that saw him play at the

from 2006 onwards, and he has vowed not to alter his style of play. He wore No 33, previously worn by former Aboriginal player Jeff Farmer. In a round 7, 2006 clash with

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

at the MCG, Pickett sent Ryan Crowley to hospital with a broken cheekbone. Pickett suffered successive

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

injuries in 2006 which sidelined him for several games. 2007 began slowly for Pickett, not selected in the initial rounds due to poor pre-season match fitness. However he returned in Round 4. In April he laid a heavy tackle on Tadhg Kennelly which tore Kenelly's anterior cruciate ligament. On 5 May 2007, Pickett laid a strong tackle on Port Adelaide's Kane Cornes, which left him concussed and taken from the ground on a stretcher. After round 6 in 2007, the Demons suspended Pickett to a minimum of four weeks at the Sandringham Football Club for the official reason of failing to attend a game. Unofficially, there were club concerns surrounding Pickett's weight and pre-season work ethic and him turning up to training under the influence of alcohol. Despite drawing criticism late in his career for being increasingly overweight and slow, however he maintained an impact in matches, continuing to score goals and make game turning plays. Byron Pickett announced his last game of football on Sunday 2 September, in the match against Carlton, retiring along with Demons teammates Clint Bizzell and Nathan Brown. He kicked a goal in his final game against the Blues.

Controversy

In 1999, Pickett crashed into Hawthorn's Brendan Krummel while his head was down to get the ball. In the bump, Pickett broke Krummel's nose, he was concussed and had short-term amnesia. A free kick was awarded but no official charge from the AFL. Despite his injuries, Krummel publicly defended Pickett's actions. In 2000, Byron was admitted to a mental health clinic with fears of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and other mental illnesses. Pickett was released from the clinic with reports that his mental health was fine. In 2005 he received a 6-week suspension for a clash which accidentally knocked out James Begley in a pre-season match with both players chasing for the ball. The incident sparked controversy and in response many football commentators, including premiership player Robert Walls called to ban the bump. Many cynics felt that Pickett had been singled out over the incident and his style of play unfairly made an example of, with the rules changing in response to the incident. He received a 2-week suspension for a hip-and-shoulder on Carlton's Simon Wiggins as he completed a mark, after slowing down and pulling up to reduce the collision. In the 2005 semi-final between Adelaide and Port Adelaide, a bump on Adelaide Football Club's Rhett Biglands knocked the 104 kg ruckman out cold, seeing Biglands stretchered from the field. He was not suspended for the collision. Pickett has also made numerous appearances in court related to drink-driving offences. In 2007 Pickett was suspended by

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

for failure to attend a game against the Western Bulldogs; he was listed as an emergency. It was later revealed he sent a phone text message to his coach Neale Daniher to inform him that he was too hungover to play.

Post-AFL career

Following his AFL retirement, Pickett was rumoured to be approached by several Victorian country football clubs including Port Fairy in the southwestern Victorian based Hampden Football League. Eventually Pickett returned to Port Adelaide in the SANFL for 2008 and 2009. Pickett is also involved with the club's Football Academy Program with a specific focus on mentoring some of the young Aboriginal players in this program.

Statistics

:Byron Pickett's player profile at AFL Tables
/ref> , - , 1997 , , , , 28 , 1 , , 0 , , 0 , , 1 , , 1 , , 2 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0 , - , 1998 , , , , 28 , 25 , , 0 , , 3 , , 211 , , 94 , , 305 , , 64 , , 71 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 8.4 , , 3.8 , , 12.2 , , 2.6 , , 2.8, , 3 , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

^# , , , , 28 , 25 , , 0 , , 2 , , 294 , , 95 , , 389 , , 69 , , 48 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 11.8 , , 3.8 , , 15.6 , , 2.8 , , 1.9 , , 11 , - ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, , , , 28 , 25 , , 4 , , 3 , , 263 , , 92 , , 355 , , 76 , , 73 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 10.5 , , 3.7 , , 14.2 , , 3.0 , , 2.9 , , 1 , - ,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, , , , 28 , 22, , 37 , , 10 , , 201 , , 88 , , 289 , , 72 , , 96 , , 1.7 , , 0.5 , , 9.1 , , 4.0 , , 13.1 , , 3.3 , , 4.4 , , 4 , - , 2002 , , , , 28 , 22 , , 40 , , 20 , , 175 , , 56 , , 231 , , 73 , , 73 , , 1.8 , , 0.9 , , 8.0 , , 2.5 , , 10.5 , , 3.3 , , 3.3 , , 5 , - , 2003 , , , , 15 , 25 , , 43 , , 25 , , 225 , , 84 , , 309 , , 92 , , 75 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , 9.0 , , 3.4 , , 12.4 , , 3.7 , , 3.0 , , 8 , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

^# , , , , 15 , 15 , , 20 , , 11 , , 109 , , 44 , , 153 , , 45 , , 34 , , 1.3 , , 0.7 , , 7.3 , , 2.9 , , 10.2 , , 3.0 , , 2.3 , , 0 , - ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, , , , 15 , 15 , , 17 , , 9 , , 128 , , 41 , , 169 , , 49 , , 25 , , 1.1 , , 0.6 , , 8.5 , , 2.7 , , 11.3 , , 3.3 , , 1.7 , , 0 , - , 2006 , , , , 33 , 20 , , 9 , , 7 , , 215 , , 80 , , 295 , , 102 , , 45 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 10.8 , , 4.0 , , 14.8 , , 5.1 , , 2.3 , , 5 , - , 2007 , , , , 33 , 9 , , 7 , , 3 , , 64 , , 19 , , 83 , , 26 , , 30 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 7.1 , , 2.1 , , 9.2 , , 2.9 , , 3.3 , , 0 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 204 !! 177 !! 93 !! 1886 !! 694 !! 2580 !! 668 !! 570 !! 0.9 !! 0.5 !! 9.2 !! 3.4 !! 12.6 !! 3.3 !! 2.8 !! 37

Honours and achievements

Team

North Melbourne/Kangaroos * AFL Premiership ( Kangaroos):

* McClelland Trophy (

): 1998 * Pre-Season Cup (

): 1998 Port Adelaide * AFL Premiership ( Port Adelaide):

* McClelland Trophy ( Port Adelaide): 2003,

Individual

* Norm Smith Medal:

* All-Australian:

* Indigenous All-Stars Representative Honours: 2005, 2007 * AFL Rising Star Award: 1998 * AFL Rising Star Nominee: 1998 (Round 3)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pickett, Byron 1977 births Living people Australian rules footballers from Western Australia Melbourne Football Club players Port Adelaide Football Club players Port Adelaide Football Club premiership players Port Adelaide Magpies players Port Adelaide Football Club players (all competitions) North Melbourne Football Club players North Melbourne Football Club premiership players South Australian State of Origin players Norm Smith Medal winners All-Australians (AFL) Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football AFL Rising Star winners Australian rules footballers from South Australia People from Kellerberrin, Western Australia VFL/AFL premiership players