Dees to work on Pickett’s technique
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin says Kysaiah Pickett will “continue to improve” on his contested-ball technique as the Demons scramble to replace him ahead of a Thursday night blockbuster against Brisbane.
Goodwin said the Demons would take a “team approach” to filling the hole in their forward line against the Lions, which will be the fourth game Pickett has missed due to suspension in a year.
The 22-year-old failed to have his charge for a high bump on Adelaide’s Jake Soligo downgraded to avoid a one-match ban after previously missing two weeks at the start of 2023 and beginning this season suspended due to a rough conduct charge in last year’s semi-final loss to Carlton.
Goodwin said Melbourne did not want to continue losing Pickett to suspension and would continue to work with the forward on his method of attacking the ball.
“We don’t want one of our best players missing games of footy, so we’ll keep working with Kozzy … this isn’t the first conversation that we’ve had,” he said on Wednesday.
“He has modified what he does in terms of his pressure, and we’ll continue to work on tackle technique and the way to intercept the ball better, and he’ll continue to improve in that space.
“What he has got an appetite to do is learn, get better and do it better, so we’ll keep working on that with him.”
Goodwin challenged Pickett to continue working on that part of his game, as he said there was no like-for-like replacement on the Demons’ list.
“We love his intensity, we love the way he attacks the footy, but can you get better at it? You’ve got to learn from your experiences as you go through, and that’s what the best players do,” he said.
“He certainly won’t be someone that we replace, it’s going to be a team role. Whoever comes in, the expectation is going to be a team thing.”
Goodwin praised Steven May for his courageous performance against Adelaide and said he was “feeling better again” as his ribs continued to heal following a nasty collision in round 2.