Updated ,first published
Melbourne coach Steven King is confident star midfielder Kysaiah Pickett will be clear to play Hawthorn next Saturday after he collected West Coast forward Jake Waterman in the head in the opening 30 seconds of the Demons’ 32-point win at Marvel Stadium.
Waterman went to ground and won the free kick and vision showed Pickett decelerating as he reached the contest. Waterman showed no ill-effects. He was inaccurate with his shot at goal but played well after quarter-time to kick three goals.
King said he thought Pickett “made a legitimate play on the ball”. He made sure he spoke to the speedster when he came to the bench to let him know he thought he had nothing to worry about as he was playing the ball.
“I was just reassurring ‘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 match with the Eagles’ Brady Hough restricting the match winner to just 14 touches. King said it was difficult to know whether the incident had any impact on Pickett. He said the midfielder’s initial concern was justified as he is a leader who knows his importance to Melbourne’s fortunes.
“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 at all concerned with Pickett’s output saying the team “didn’t need ‘Kozy’ to do anything super for us all the time” and it was a good sign they could win without him having a huge influence.
It was the most significant moment in the match as the Demons recorded their first win since their controversial decision to sack CEO Paul Guerra just seven months into the job. The win put them on the edge of the top six with huge matches against Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs ahead.
The win wasn’t unexpected as the hapless (or hopeless) Eagles – depending on your perspective – haven’t defeated the Demons at Docklands since 2011, but it was a healthy reminder they remain a class above the rebuilding cohort which has the Eagles as their poster club.
It was the only close call for the Demons who kicked eight unanswered goals after Harley Reid kicked the first goal of the match to put the result beyond doubt. The Eagles narrowed the eventual margin to 32 points as they applied pressure and rallied with late goals.
The Eagles were trying to play faster than they were capable, and the Demons feasted on their mistakes. Eagles coach Andrew McQualter said he would continue to encourage his young players to go for their kicks and the tide would turn.
He revealed he spent time in the off-season watching how dual premiership coach Chris Fagan responded after games early in his time as the Lions’ coach when they had a young group of players and wins were few and far between. He said Fagan was able to ingrain a positive mindset in his young players, assisting their development by telling them to keep going after their kicks because that’s how they would become better players.
West Coast’s cause had not been helped when Harry Edwards was subbed out of the game early with his third concussion for the season after he copped an accidental elbow from teammate Elliot Yeo. Edwards left the ground with blood spilling out of his head and his immediate future in doubt after he failed a SCAT test. Edwards had been wearing a helmet in response to his 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 making light of the health scare, King must thank his lucky stars he saw stars during his bid for the Eagles coaching job, which McQualter eventually won at the end of 2024.
King, who fainted at the Cats where he was an assistant coach after returning from an interview with West Coast during preliminary final week, has already experienced victory more often 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.
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