Updated ,first published
Melbourne coach Steven King is confident star midfielder Kysaiah Pickett will be available to play against Hawthorn next Saturday after picking up West Coast forward Jake Waterman in the opening minutes of the Demons’ 32-point win at Marvel Stadium.
Waterman went down to win the free kick and vision showed Pickett slowing as he reached the contest. Waterman showed no side effects. He was not accurate with his shot on goal but played well after quarter time to score three goals.
King said he thought Pickett “made a legitimate play on the ball”. He made sure to talk to the fast player when he got to the bench to let him know that he thought he had nothing to worry about as he was playing football.
“I was just reassuring ‘Koz’ to make sure he was confident enough that he saw what we saw (in) the rematch,” King said.
Pickett had a quiet game with the Eagles’ Brady Hough holding the game-winner to just 14 touchdowns. King said it was hard to tell if the incident had any effect on Pickett. He said the midfielder’s initial concerns were correct as he is a leader who knows his importance to Melbourne’s success.
“The way he plays the game, it goes to the edge at times because of the talent he has and how tough he is in the game. I think his initial reaction was probably ‘is he OK?’ and try to see a rematch like we were,” King said. “When we saw the replay I quickly got a message to ‘Koz’ that you are playing football and you will be fine.”
King didn’t care at all about Pickett’s results saying the team “didn’t need ‘Kozy’ to do anything high for us all the time” and it was a good sign they could win without him being a big influence.
It was the most important moment of the match as the Devils recorded their first win since their controversial decision to fire CEO Paul Guerra just seven months into the job. The win put them on the brink of the top six with big games against Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs ahead.
The win was unexpected as the hapless (or hopeless) Eagles – depending on your point of view – haven’t beaten the Devils at Docklands since 2011, but it was a good reminder that they remain a class above the rebuilding group that have the Eagles as their banner club.
It was the only close call for the Devils who kicked nine goals without reply after Harley Reid kicked the first goal of the match to put the result beyond doubt. The Eagles cut the gap to 32 points when they applied pressure and scored late goals.
The Eagles were trying to play faster than they were capable of, and the Devils enjoyed their mistakes. Eagles coach Andrew McQualter said he will continue to encourage his young players to go kick and the situation will change.
He revealed that he spent his off-season looking at how Premier League coach Chris Fagan responded after early matches in his time as Lions coach when they had a group of young players and wins were few and far between. He said Fagan was able to build a positive attitude in his young players, and help their development by telling them to keep track of their kicks because that is how they will become better players.
West Coast’s cause was not helped when Harry Edwards was sent off early with his third concussion of the season after taking an elbow from teammate Elliot Yeo. Edwards left the ground with blood pouring from his head and his future in doubt after failing the SCAT test. Edwards was wearing a helmet in response to his earlier frustrations.
“It’s very sad and unfortunate for Harry that he couldn’t play for us today but it’s bigger than Harry,” McQualter said. “He’s got a lot of enthusiasm for what it’s worth … he’ll have another chance on the sidelines now.”
Health concerns aside, King must thank his lucky stars during his bid to coach the Eagles, which McQualter eventually won in late 2024.
King, who stepped down with the Cats where he was assistant coach after returning from an interview with West Coast during the pre-final week, already has more wins in nine games with the Devils than McQualter has in 32 games as Eagles coach.
Meanwhile referee Jordyn Pearson became the second female referee in the history of the game, following in the footsteps of Eleni Tee.
