2019 premiership sensation Marlion Pickett is expected to feature prominently for Richmond in 2020.
The 28-year-old was the talk of the footy world in late September last year when he was called up for his AFL debut in the week leading up to the Grand Final, after just a handful of games with the Tigers at VFL level.
Pickett was fresh off winning the VFL flag where had taken out the Norm Goss Medal for best on ground before he contributed beautifully to Richmond’s 89-point thrashing of the GWS Giants with a balanced 22 disposals, composed goal and memorable blind turn in the centre of the MCG.
While it is no certainty that Pickett will return to the heights that almost saw him pinch the Norm Smith Medal from the grasp of the brilliant Dustin Martin, Balme is confident the unflappable West Australian has the temperament and class to deliver again in his second AFL season.
“For the sake of half a dozen kicks and the fact that Dusty was there, he might have won the medal on that day,” Balme joked on SEN SA Breakfast.
“He was amazing, but he’ll be bigger and better. He’s 28 so he’s quite mature. He’s got a very strong purpose for playing footy. He’s got a partner and four kids and he wants to make their lives a bit easier than his was.
“He’s a fantastic young kid, very down to earth, calm, approaches everything very rationally. He’s training well, looks fit as a fiddle, looks a lot harder, he’s a really strong kid.
“We think he’ll be outstanding, I don’t think there’s much doubt about that at all.
“It’s not as easy as it looks, he’s only played the one game, but a few things happened to him last year where he had a finger problem and a few other issues, it’s why he only played the one game.
“My own view is that we easily could have played him another half a dozen times. We’ll see a lot of him this year I reckon.”
Pickett and the Tigers will be in action in the Marsh Community series against Collingwood in Wangaratta on Sunday, March 1.