Pacy Pickett aims to become midfield Giant
Greater Western Sydney recruit Jarrod Pickett is confident he can defy the footballing trend of midfielders having to be tall and have an impact in the AFL as a 177cm on-baller.
Pickett yesterday became the first West Australian drafted when the Giants used pick four to select him.
He has played stellar football during his development years where his ability to break the game apart saw him surge through the South Fremantle ranks.
But with many of the AFL's star on-ballers now at least 190cm, Pickett must find new ways to excel. He said that challenge was one of the exciting parts about getting drafted.
"I think I can play mainly outside midfield, like on the wing," Pickett said.
"I can also roll into the forward line. When I get the opportunity to play midfield, I love to play there. That's where I use my speed and kick goals.
"It's going to be a lot different from playing colts where I am the average size. Now I'm going to be the smallest, but I can't wait."
Pickett's explosive pace is expected to make him among the fastest players to ever play in the AFL. He has run 20m in 2.80 seconds which ranks him in the top one per cent of the AFL's 20 years of draft testing.
Pickett was superb during WA's loss to South Australia at Medibank Stadium, kicking three goals from 21 possessions and notching seven inside 50s.
AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan said that match showed why Pickett could play in the midfield at a high level.
"He just took them on from the midfield and bounced around them," Sheehan said.
"So that was a bit of Chris Yarran-Lewis Jetta rolled in.
"That brilliant burst of speed. He's got a tank to match, so he can run all day. He's a special player through the midfield but he can be that dangerous small forward as well, so he's got a few strings to his bow."
Pickett has shown he can play at senior level, averaging 11 possessions and one goal in five league matches for South Fremantle this season.
A member of the AFL Academy, Pickett joins a host of top-10 draft picks at the Giants and will be playing alongside fellow West Australians Stephen Coniglio, Rory Lobb, Cameron McCarthy, Rhys Palmer and Nathan Wilson.
