Kysaiah Pickett banned for bump on Darcy Moore that left Pies skipper concussed
Melbourne star Kysaiah Pickett has copped a significant ban for a hit that left Collingwood skipper Darcy Moore concussed in Friday night’s 46-point win over the Demons.
Pickett ensured he would draw the scrutiny of the Match Review Officer (MRO) after his unsuccessful bump attempt on the Collingwood captain, which will see him miss the first three matches of the 2025 season.
Late in the second quarter, Pickett and Moore were side-by-side chasing a loose ball when the Demon opted to bump the Magpie captain, as you can see in the video player above.
At virtually the same time Pickett made that decision, Moore dropped his body in an effort to grab the footy, leading to a heavy clash that snapped Moore’s head to one side and left him flat out on the turf. Brayden Maynard, filling his typical role, quickly remonstrated with Pickett, with Moore having to be subbed out of the game shortly after the collision with concussion.
The MRO on Saturday released the findings from Friday night’s game, with Pickett handed a three-game ban. His rough conduct charge was graded as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.
It comes after Pickett earlier this year admitted he needs to alter his technique with regards to bumping incidents after serving three suspensions in the space of 27 games.
Hawthorn champion Dermott Brereton believes Pickett must change his ways, saying “you can’t be spiteful in this era” in line with the current AFL standards.
“This is going to be his heaviest suspension … he allows the ball to go on its merry path, he goes at the man, you cannot say: ‘I was playing the ball’,” Brereton told Fox Footy Live.
“He’s in some strife here, he did it to Bailey Smith early last year.
“We love seeing Kozzy Pickett out on the ground doing what Kozzy Pickett can do, which no one else can do.
“But you know what, he attempts to play a tough guy’s role. Leave that to the mugs, you can’t be spiteful in this era and play football.
“You can be tough, but you can’t take out players in the opposition with spite. And a lot of his take outs have spite inside that action. That’s spite.
“If you play with spite, you’re going, you can’t do it anymore. Different era.”
Former Hawks sharpshooter Ben Dixon concurred, suggesting Pickett was compromising his spot in the side.
“He is (too good for this). Either you clean it up or suck it up,” Dixon said on Fox Footy Live.
“He’s going to keep getting suspended and keep letting his teammates down.
“If you don’t clean it up, you’re going to be in and out of the side.”
It seems barely a week has gone by this season without an incident arising that could either be cleared or lead to a suspension from the AFL Tribunal.
AFL.com.au reporter Damian Barrett referenced the situation in a column this week when umpires reaffirmed a bump from Port’s Dan Houston on Izak Rankine didn’t merit a free kick on the ground, but led to a five-week suspension off it.
“Once again,” Barrett concluded, “this system needs to be blown up.”
Houston, Isaac Heeney and Harley Reid are among the players defended all the way to the Appeals Board by the Power, Swans and Eagles respectively this season, before all three had their suspensions upheld.
Pickett’s record won’t help his cause, as the combative Demon was suspended three times over a 27-game stretch from the start of 2023 through round four this season, all involving high shots.
Yet Fox Footy panel members Jordan Lewis, Nathan Buckley and Jonathan Brown all felt Pickett would escape any punishment this time around, although fans were left deeply divided.
The wild variety of responses from fans comes as no surprise considering the multitude of judgments from the MRO this season.
“Moore didn’t keep his feet. Move on,” was one simple assessment on X.
“Lol @RalphyHeraldSun you are delusional … He chose to bump, hit him high, concussed him, but hey, blame the bloke playing the ball!!” wrote another.
“Players must now predict when an opponent might duck or slide late into a contest?” queried another.
“Launches himself to his right to go for the bump. An easy 5+ weeks for intentional,” decided another.
A fifth suggested simply: “Don’t duck next time.”
During the weather delay, the Fox Footy channel had another crack at debating any possible suspension for Pickett.
“Say (Pickett) gets suspended, that’s then a suspendable action, then why aren’t all those actions that are similar, even if the player doesn’t get concussed, getting the same penalty,” Brown asked.
“Because there are instances where the other player contributes to what has taken place,” Lyon replied.
It all sounds as clear as the mud deepening across the sodden MCG.
Neither of these sides will play finals football and Pickett will be hoping he doesn’t have another footy task to worry about now the Demons’ disappointing campaign has officially come to an end.
The weather intervention was the last thing anyone associated with the game wanted, with fans booing as the players returned to the changerooms, before the match finally finished nearing 11pm AEST.
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