When midfield beasts Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca left Melbourne last year, the Demons’ engine room was suddenly gutted. The bullocking ball magnets are among the elite on-ballers in the game and were instrumental in the Dees’ drought-breaking premiership in 2021. Then, with Jack Viney sidelined indefinitely due to an achilles injury, new Demons coach Stephen King had to devise a quick and innovative plan to build an on-ball brigade from scratch.
Kysaiah Pickett was the obvious choice. The dynamic small forward had spent the best part of the last five years dazzling defenders with his unique creativity and flair. But it wasn’t until round three against Carlton that King finally unleashed Pickett into the middle, after Melbourne’s midfield was mauled by the Dockers the week before. It didn’t start well, but after the main break Pickett exploded. The 25-year-old inspired the Demons to a remarkable comeback against the Blues, finishing with 33 touches, 10 inside-50s and a goal. It was the first time he had more than 30 disposals. Kozzy was just getting warmed up.
