Is Kysaiah Pickett set to leave Melbourne once his contract expires at the end of the season?
Top AFL journalist Mitch Cleary believes it’s a live chance just one off-season on from Luke Jackson departing the club for Fremantle.
In what he described as history repeating itself, Cleary is seeing similarities with how Melbourne failed to keep Jackson in their pursuit to retain Pickett.
“My first one is Kozzie Pickett, I think this has the hallmarks of Luke Jackson 2.0,” Cleary told the Tradies podcast.
“It (rumours) lingering around all year and it’s because of this.
“Alan Richardson was speaking on SEN, the head of footy that, ‘We’re going to wait our time, we’re in a good spot, Kozzie loves the club’.
“These are all the same things they were saying about Luke Jackson at this time last year.
“I’m not saying Kozzie Pickett is gone by any stretch, but look at the conversation last year with West Coast and Fremantle coming for Luke Jackson.
“Well, Kozzie has four, he’s got family in WA, family in SA and played the last years of his junior footy playing for SA in the state championships.
“Where Jackson had two, Kozzie Pickett actually has four and the Power and these clubs have been thinking about this guy for a long time, ever since Melbourne traded up to get him in the same draft that they got Jackson.”
Cleary believes Melbourne will need to re-sign Pickett before mid-season if he is to stay after Jackson decided to move on at a similar time last campaign.
“If this gets to mid-season and he hasn’t re-signed with Melbourne it’ll be alarm bells,” Cleary said.
“We’ll all be at the airport with our cameras waiting for Kozzie Pickett to roll through.
“Last year Jackson, they told us all year it was all good and Jackson told us at the end of the year that it was midpoint of the season that he met the coaches and made his decision.
“There’s move to room for Kozzie, there’s still a chance he remains at Melbourne but they’d want to get it done in the next 10 weeks.”
Another reason Pickett may opt to leave is financial terms, with Cleary expecting rival clubs to offer more money than Melbourne are able to.
“I think the value is there for him in the market compared to what Melbourne can do, they’ve already committed long-term deals to Petracca, Oliver, Gawn is on good money … May and Lever,” Cleary said.
“The money that Kozzie Pickett will leave on the table with Melbourne could be 150-200 grand if he decides to stay.”
Pickett, who is already a premiership player, enters 2023 with 62 games and 88 goals under his belt from three seasons at the top level.