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 30 seconds of Melbourne’s 32-point victory over West Coast at Marvel Stadium, where Pickett made contact with Eagles forward Jake Waterman.
Waterman went to ground and was awarded a free kick. The footage showed Pickett slowing down as he approached the contest. However, Waterman did not show any signs of distress and went on to kick three goals after quarter-time, despite being inaccurate with his shots at goal.
King stated that he believed Pickett “made a legitimate play on the ball.” He spoke to the player during the game to reassure him 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 relatively quiet match, with Eagles’ Brady Hough limiting the match winner to just 14 touches. King acknowledged that it was difficult to determine whether the incident affected Pickett’s performance. He noted that the midfielder’s initial concern was justified, given his role as a leader and his importance to Melbourne’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 said. “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 super for us all the time.” He considered it a positive sign that the Demons could win without Pickett having a major influence.
This win marked a significant moment for the Demons, as it came shortly after their controversial decision to sack CEO Paul Guerra just seven months into the job. The victory placed them on the edge of the top six, with crucial matches against Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs ahead.
The win was not 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 team that has the Eagles as its poster club.
The Demons had few close calls in the match, kicking eight unanswered goals after Harley Reid scored the first goal of the game. 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 they were capable of, and the Demons took advantage of their mistakes. Eagles coach Andrew McQualter said he would continue to encourage his young players to go for their kicks, believing that the tide would eventually turn.
McQualter revealed that he spent time in the off-season watching 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 was further complicated when Harry Edwards was subbed out of the game early due to his third concussion of the season. Edwards received an accidental elbow from teammate Elliot Yeo and left the field with blood spilling from his head. He failed a SCAT test, raising concerns about his future in the sport. 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 downplaying the health scare, King can be grateful that he saw stars during his bid for the Eagles coaching job, which McQualter ultimately won at the end of 2024.
King, who fainted at the Cats while serving as an assistant coach 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.
