Just four months after joining Richmond, Marlion Pickett has staked his claim to make AFL grand final history.
The 27-year-old was best afield for the Tigers’ VFL team on Sunday in their grand final win over Williamstown.
While it remains a long shot, Pickett is in the frame to make his AFL debut in Saturday’s grand final against GWS.
Only five players have debuted in a grand final and the last was Keith Batchelor for Collingwood in their 1952 loss to Geelong.
The Tigers recruited the father of four in late May through the mid-season draft.
Off-field problems had kept Pickett out of the AFL until now, with the WA native doing jail time as a teenager.
When Pickett arrived in Melbourne earlier this year, one of the people who greeted him at the airport was new Richmond teammate Sydney Stack.
The Rising Star nominee also joined the grand final selection conversation when made a successful return from ankle surgery in the VFL grand final.
But like Pickett, Stack for now looks an outsider to make the AFL grand final team.
Richmond rested Kamdyn McIntosh and Jack Ross from Sunday’s VFL grand final team.
There is plenty for Tigers coach Damien Hardwick and his match committee to ponder ahead of Saturday.
Jack Graham (shoulder) and Nathan Broad (concussion) are being given every chance this week to prove their fitness after they were hurt in Friday night’s 19-point preliminary final win over Geelong.
Earlier on Sunday, Giants co-captain Phil Davis declared himself a certain starter for the grand final after he emerged from their epic preliminary final win a banged-up mess.
Davis popped a finger in the warm-up on Saturday, then hurt his calf and shoulder in the four-point win over Collingwood.
“I pulled up really well. I had a good night’s sleep and am feeling really good, so there shouldn’t be any dramas for this weekend,” Davis said.
The Giants also have grand final selection issues, with Toby Greene to return from suspension and Lachie Whitfield out to prove his fitness.
Whitfield missed the preliminary final because he needed his appendix removed.
Stephen Coniglio remains a long shot to return from knee surgery and Brett Deledio (calf) is surely no chance for a career swan song.
There will be no repeat of last week’s tumultuous tribunal hearings.
Controversy instead lies with with the AFL’s new review centre with officials conceding the wrong call was made on the controversial Josh Thomas goal.
After giving the Collingwood forward’s crucial last-quarter goal the all-clear on Saturday night, the AFL has conceded it was touched off the boot.
It is a blow to the review centre, which was opened for the finals.
One of the key reasons for the ARC was to improve the AFL’s drama-plagued video score reviews.
