Byron Pickett Totally Explained

Everything about Byron Pickett totally explained

Byron Pickett (born August 11 1977) is a retired indigenous Australian rules footballer known for his strength, hard bumps and tough approach to the game.
At only 178 cm and 86 kg, Pickett isn't a large Australian Rules player, however he's solidly built and unquestionably tough. Despite developing a reputation as an unfair or 'dirty' player for his aggressive attack on the ball and the man, he's only been suspended three times since 2001. In 2005 Pickett was acknowledged as one of the finest Aboriginal players in the history of the game, with his selection to the Indigenous Team of the Century.

North Melbourne Football Club

Nicknamed "Choppy", Pickett burst onto the scene in 1997 with the North Melbourne Football Club, playing only one game. However, in 1998 he'd a fine year and was rewarded with the Norwich Rising Star award.
In 1999 he played in a premiership team with the Kangaroos, before switching to the club he originally played for in the SANFL, Port Adelaide, in 2002.

Port Adelaide Power

He was part of Port Adelaide's first ever AFL premiership in 2004, his eye-catching 3-goal, 20 possession performance earning him the Norm Smith Medal for best afield.

Melbourne

At the end of 2005, Pickett was involved in a trade that saw him play at the Melbourne Football Club from 2006 onwards, and he's vowed not to alter his style of play. He wears No 33, previously worn by former aboriginal player Jeff Farmer who currently plays for Fremantle (Still No 33).
   In a round 7, 2006 clash with Fremantle at the MCG, Pickett sent Ryan Crowley to hospital with a broken cheekbone in a shepherd.
   Pickett suffered successive hamstring injuries in 2006 which sidelined him for several games.
   2007 began slowly for Pickett, not selected in the initial rounds due to poor pre-season match fitness. However he returned in Round 4 and on May 5, 2007, laid a strong tackle on Port Adelaide's Kane Cornes left Cornes concussed and taken from the ground on a stretcher.
   After round 6 in 2007, the Demons suspending Pickett to a minumum of four weeks at the Sandringham Football Club for the official reason of failing to attend a game. Unofficially, there were clubs concerns surrounding Pickett's weight and pre-season work ethic and him turning up to training under the influence of alcohol.
   Byron Pickett said that he'll play his last game of football on Sunday 2nd of September, in the match against Carlton, retiring along with Demons teammates Clint Bizzell and Nathan D. Brown. He kicked a goal in his final game against the Blues.

Controversy

In 1999, Pickett crashed into Hawthorn's Brendan Krummel while his head was down to get the ball. In the bump, Pickett broke Krummel's nose, he was concussed and had short-term amnesia. A free kick was awarded but no official charge from the AFL. Despite his injuries, Krummel publicly defended Pickett's actions.
   In 2000, Byron was admitted to a mental health clinic with fears of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and other mental illnesses. Pickett was released from the clinic with reports that his mental health was fine. However, a certain amount of controversy still circles around the issue.
   In 2005 he received 6 weeks for a clash which accidentally knocked out James Begley in a pre-season match with both players chasing for the ball. The incident sparked controversy and in response many football commentators, including premiership player Robert Walls called to ban the bump. Many cynics felt that Pickett had been singled out over the incident and his style of play unfairly made an example of, with the rules changing in response to the incident.
   He received 2 weeks for a hip-and-shoulder on Carlton's Simon Wiggins as he completed a mark, after slowing down and pulling up to reduce the collision. Later in the season, a bump on Adelaide Football Club's Rhett Biglands knocked the 104 kg ruckman out cold, seeing Biglands stretchered from the field . Biglands recovered, returned and played later in that match.
   Pickett has also made numerous appearances in court related to drink-driving offences.
   In 2007 Pickett was suspended by Melbourne for failing to turn up to a game against the Western Bulldogs in which he was a listed emergency. It was later revealed he sent a phone text message to his coach Neale Daniher to inform him that he was too hungover to play.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Byron Pickett'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:

<a href="http://byron_pickett.totallyexplained.com">Byron Pickett Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.