Melbourne coach Steven King has expressed confidence that star midfielder Kysaiah Pickett will be available to play against Hawthorn next Saturday. This follows an incident in the opening 32 seconds of Melbourne’s 32-point victory over West Coast at Marvel Stadium, where Pickett made contact with Eagles forward Jake Waterman.
Waterman fell to the ground and was awarded a free kick. Replays showed that Pickett had slowed down as he approached the contest. Despite this, Waterman did not show any signs of distress. He struggled with his kicking accuracy but improved significantly after quarter-time, scoring three goals.
King stated that he believed Pickett made a “legitimate play on the ball” and took the time to speak with the player when he came off the bench. His goal was to ensure Pickett felt confident that there was no cause for concern regarding the incident.
“I was just reassuring ‘Koz’ to make sure he felt confident enough that he’d seen what we’d seen [on] the replays,” King said.
Pickett had a quiet performance in the match, with Brady Hough limiting him to just 14 disposals. King acknowledged that it was difficult to determine whether the incident affected Pickett. However, he noted that Pickett’s initial concern was understandable given his role as a leader and his importance to the team’s success.
“The way he plays the game, it is on the edge at times because of the talent he has got and how hard he is around the footy. I think his initial reaction was probably, ‘Is he OK?’ and trying to see the replay as we were,” King explained. “When we saw the replay I got the message quickly to ‘Koz’ that you’re making a play on the ball and you’ll be fine.”
King was not concerned about Pickett’s performance, stating that the team didn’t need “Kozy” to do anything extraordinary all the time. He viewed the win as a positive sign that Melbourne could succeed without Pickett having a major influence.
This victory marked the most significant moment in the match as the Demons secured their first win since the controversial decision to sack CEO Paul Guerra just seven months into the job. The win brought them closer to the top six, with crucial matches against Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs ahead.
The result wasn’t unexpected, as the Eagles have not defeated the Demons at Docklands since 2011. However, it served as a reminder that the Demons remain a class above the rebuilding side, which includes the Eagles as its poster club.
The Demons faced only one close call during the match. After Harley Reid kicked the first goal of the game, they scored eight unanswered goals, putting the result beyond doubt. The Eagles managed to narrow the final margin to 32 points by applying pressure and scoring late goals.
The Eagles were attempting to play faster than their capabilities allowed, and the Demons capitalized on their mistakes. Eagles coach Andrew McQualter said he would continue to encourage his young players to take risks with their kicks, believing that the tide would eventually turn.
McQualter revealed that he spent time in the off-season observing how dual premiership coach Chris Fagan handled games early in his tenure with the Lions. He admired Fagan’s ability to instill a positive mindset in his young players, encouraging them to keep going after their kicks to become better players.
West Coast’s situation worsened when Harry Edwards was substituted out of the game early due to his third concussion of the season. Edwards suffered an accidental elbow from teammate Elliot Yeo and left the field with blood coming from his head. His immediate future in the game is uncertain after failing a SCAT test. Edwards had been wearing a helmet following previous concussions.
“It’s really sad and unfortunate for Harry that he wasn’t able to play for us today but it’s bigger than that for Harry,” McQualter said. “He’s in great spirits for what it’s worth … he’ll have another stint on the sidelines now.”
Without minimizing the health scare, King can be grateful that he saw stars during his attempt to secure the Eagles coaching job, which McQualter eventually won at the end of 2024. King, who fainted while working as an assistant coach at the Cats after returning from an interview with West Coast during preliminary final week, has already experienced more victories in nine matches with the Demons than McQualter has in 32 games as coach of the Eagles.
Meanwhile, umpire Jordyn Pearson became the second female field umpire in the game’s history, following in the footsteps of Eleni Tee.
