- Marlion Pickett to retire from AFL this weekend
- He made his debut for Richmond in the 2019 Grand Final
- Facing trial for alleged commercial thefts
Two-time championship winner Marlion Pickett is set to retire this weekend, with the Richmond AFL star then facing allegations he was involved in stealing more than $380,000 in a series of commercial burglaries in Perth last summer.
Pickett, 32, will play his 91st and final game of football against his former mentor Damien Hardwick’s Gold Coast at the MCG on Saturday.
He was known for being a mature player recruited mid-season from Western Australia who made his debut by winning the AFL Grand Final in 2019.
Pickett then played a part in the Tigers’ flag-winning performance in 2020.
The father of four, who served time in prison as a teenager, often feared his chance in the AFL would never come.
“It’s been a good ride… I didn’t think I was ever going to get drafted,” he said this week.
‘My background and my way of growing up are different from others’ and it was not easy for me to be chosen. I was ignored for six or seven years and in 2019 I was on the verge of giving up on all my dreams.
‘(Luckily) I had some people on my side who told me to persevere… to just give it one more year.
Two-time AFL championship winner Marlion Pickett is set to retire this weekend (pictured after winning the flag with Richmond in 2019)
Pickett faces allegations he was involved in stealing more than $380,000 in a series of commercial burglaries in Perth last summer and plans to plead not guilty in court.
‘The sacrifices we (family) made were worth it.’
Off the field, Pickett faces some considerable challenges.
In June of last year, after Richmond’s victory about Fremantle at Optus Stadium: the midfielder was charged with 12 offences and spent the He spent one night in custody before being granted bail.
The charges included three counts of robbery, four counts of aggravated robbery and three counts of criminal damage or destruction of property.
The football star is alleged to have been involved in four commercial robberies dating between December 3, 2022, and January 3 last year in Perth.
Pickett is accused of helping steal more than $350,000 from businesses in Beverley, Bindoon, Beechboro and Girrawheen.
In a robbery, $325,000 was allegedly stolen from a currency exchange office.
Pickett has also been accused of renting a camper van to transport the money across Australia, as well as purchasing the tools and clothing needed for the alleged offences.
He allegedly pocketed $15,000 in stolen money for his services.
Daily Mail Australia understands Pickett will plead not guilty and a trial will take place in the Perth District Court.