DESPITE being the WAFL's most decorated player currently pulling on a guernsey, Allistair Pickett is fighting for his spot with Subiaco.
Pickett snr's remarkable career is well and truly in its twilight, given he turns 35 next month. But given his second crack at league football only began in 2001, to be sitting back with two Sandover Medals, three premierships medallions and to be named in the forward pocket of Subiaco's Team of the Century, it's hard to imagine anyone having a better career to reflect upon.
The oldest man in the WAFL is keen to get into coaching, so he will not be lost to the WAFL. And he gets plenty of enjoyment watching his eldest son, Alliston, who plays 16s football for Subiaco and was selected among the best 25 young Indigenous players in Australia and travelled to South Afri ca earlier in the year with the FLying Boomerangs.
It's not quite time for the 2002 and 2004 Sandover medallist to reflect though with the Lions aiming for a third successive flag later this year. If successful, Pickett will retire having collected his fourth premiership medal.
But that's the last thing on his mind, given he is fighting tooth and nail to be picked each week in the incredibly strong Subiaco line-up.
"Personally, I haven’t thought that far ahead. I'm just looking at things week by week and I'm fighting for a spot in the team every week," Pickett said. "We have a lot of talent in our squad and Scotty (coach Scott Watters) has made it clear that he will play his best side regardless of reputations.
"It's tough to have that pressure on because they want to play the young guys and sometimes you feel in the way, but if they are good enough they'll fight their way in."
Pickett had virtually resigned himself to retiring after last year's premiership, which he added to his 2004 and 2006 successes with Subiaco after crossing from Peel in 2003, but he and Watters decided he had one more year left and now after a limited pre-season, he's starting to feel good.
"It was a little frustrating at the start when you want to do things that your body won't let you do because of a lack of a pre-season, but now that I'm finding a bit of fitness my form is start to come. The body is feeling good, I have no injuries and I'm starting to get some run into my legs," he said.
"I was very close to not playing this year, but Scotty and I had a deep discussion and we decided I would give playing for the whole year a go and hopefully I've made the right decision.
"I still feel that I can be competitive and I want to play as long as I can. My form's still in patches, but the next couple of weeks will be very important to set me up for the rest of the year and I'll be looking to be playing my best footy in two weeks' time."
Pickett is hopeful of stepping into a coaching role at Subiaco next year. In the last couple of seasons he has already turned attention to being a coach when interacting with the players after games and in the lead-up to them.
"I'm not looking past this year, but it appears that I won't play on beyond it. Hopefully I'll still be involved in some capacity if the club can fit me in, but if not I've got some boys coming up that want to play footy and I'll just support them," he said.
"I've looked at coaching already and it's something that I've wanted to do over the last couple of years. If they can find a spot for me here, then I'd certainly like to give it a go. In the last couple of years I've tried being a mentor to the younger players and putting my coaching hat on when I sit down to talk to them."
Pickett went along to the club's Team of the Century function in early May expecting an enjoyable night and to meet some of Subiaco's all-time greats, but towards the end of the night he was left in no doubt he was one of those by being named in the forward pocket.
"It was a bit surreal. If you look at the names that were in that side I had to ask myself if I was worthy, but I'm honoured to be in it. Just to make the top 50 players in the first place was a big honour, but to be in the starting 18 is a bit overwhelming for sure," he said.
"It will all hit home even more this time next year when I'm all done and dusted and look back on my career. To look back having achieved everything that I possibly could and be named in the Team of the Century, it's amazing."
Pickett has four children and his eldest son, Alliston, is moving through Subiaco's development squads. His dad likes the way he's progressing.
"I'm fortunate enough to have three sons and one is already involved in the Subiaco development squad. He isn’t playing too badly and has a lot of work to do, but he's only young and still developing," he said.
"He will find out that it's a lot of hard work to achieve what you want to and I'd love to see him play for Subiaco, but it's up to him and I can't force him. He will have to decide if he wants to do all the hard work. He had a trip to South Africa earlier this year and that's not something that always comes along when you are 15."
The 15-year-old enjoyed his trip to South Africa where he took in the sights on and off the football field and it was an experience his dad won't have anytime soon given his fear of flying.
"It was a long trip, but it was really good. There were a lot of animals that we saw on a safari, we played football as well and it was a great experience. I had never been out of Australia before and it was a really good chance to experience something new," Alliston Pickett said.
"We saw a couple of lions, elephants, alligators and hippos, which was all a big shock. They got pretty close to us as well, but it was good. Before that trip there were tryouts in Melbourne of 60 boys and only 25 could be picked to make the Flying Boomerangs team.
"We played a couple of games over there and beat senior teams with guys in their 20s, but it was good to see them giving footy a go. We only beat them by three goals in the last game, so they had some really good players. It was a 14-day trip and I'll never forget it."
This year was young Pickett's first at playing 16s football for Subiaco and he enjoyed the more cut-throat approach at the next level and he would love to follow in his dad's footsteps in some way.
"Everyone wants to keep their spot in the team and it's tough to get a game, so there's no mucking up allowed. I went all right, though, and now I'm back playing school footy and under-17s at Nollamara," he said.
"I'd love to one day play for Subiaco like my dad. I come along to his games, have watched him on TV and it would be awesome to do some of the things he has. I'm concentrating on my footy, so hopefully that all turns out well and I'd like to work as a mechanic once I leave school."
CHRIS PIKE
Chris.Pike@sportal.com.au
Friday, July 18, 2008
Last Modified on 30/07/2008 22:57