Welcome to the Tigers Marlion Pickett!

[RoarEmotion]

Salary cuts should have been scaled to prevent those on minimum chips being screwed. Nice work, Paul Marsh.

Who knows how AFLPA voted And worked out the deal but In IMO they should have based any cuts on amounts above median wage or something like that so the low earners don’t get burnt so much and the higher earners wouldn’t really notice it. So the percentage would have been higher but you keep median wage first.

Anything that’ gets the public paying players starts to open the door for brown paper bags to screw the system like Carlton did again. At end the AFL could legitimise this for COVID times and players on smaller amounts. But failing of AFLPA here not protecting its weakest.

 

[Tigers of Old]

I see this as the AFLPAs responsibility to look after all players.

 

[Ian4]

Ok, I have set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for Marlion and his family.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/premiers...dium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

The goal is $10,000. I have put in $100.

It says it can be done as a team fundraiser with a minimum five members. So if anyone would like to join me, send me a PM with your email and I will add you. The more the merrier to get the word to as many Richmond supporters as you can.

For those on other Richmond forums, it would be great if you could share the link. Please let me know if it doesn't work.

ok I’ve donated. great initiative @TigerFlag2017, but please ensure that this is done in the right way. A lot of people will be putting their trust in you. I have also shared it on a Facey page I use regularly.

 

[TigerFlag2017]

ok I’ve donated. great initiative @TigerFlag2017, but please ensure that this is done in the right way. A lot of people will be putting their trust in you. I have also shared it on a Facey page I use regularly.

Thanks Ian. I would certainly feel more comfortable if a few members joined me to manage the fund raising, to help reassure anyone donating that the funds get to Marlion and his family

 

[Baloo]

Reading that article again, no quote from RFC, no quote from the Player. I reckon someone has off the cuff mentioned Marlion has applied to the AFLPA for special assistance and suddenly we have a great click-baiting headline for the journo.

 

[Number8]

I have no problem at all with this coming out, especially if it's been driven by his manager (who you'd assume has the player's best interests at heart).

No point shooting the messenger anyway. The situation wouldn't have arisen if individual cases were properly assessed in the pay deal.

I mean, geez... the guy has a wife and four little kids; they have only just relocated from interstate; he likely has no savings to fall back on due to a problematic past; his wife is a full time mum; they're probably supporting the others in their rental home because they are providing support to his family...

If any of the AFLPA, the AFL, his manager or the Richmond FC have not done enough in this instance, any or all deserve to be called to account.

Not good enough!

 

[Baloo]

Return serve by Balme

'AFL should give Pickett $1m': Tigers working to help premiership star
By Ronny Lerner
May 22, 2020 — 10.50am

Richmond football boss Neil Balme insists the Tigers are working hard with the AFL to ensure that premiership hero Marlion Pickett's financial struggles are resolved promptly.

The Age reported on Thursday that Pickett, who became the first player to win a flag on debut in 93 years, has been forced to access the AFL Players' Association hardship fund due to the coronavirus-enforced shutdown.

“The whole rookie thing is quite a challenge, particularly given these circumstances as well, and particularly a kid like him – he’s got a wife and four kids, it’s not as though he’s just on his own,” Balme told SEN on Friday.

“We’ve been working very hard behind the scenes, we’ve got a couple of genuine opportunities for him to do which are valuable for both him and for the community and for our club which I’m pretty sure the AFL will respond positively to.

“I do feel for them [the AFL] a little bit too because everyone’s got a great idea to spend money outside of the TPP [total player payments] and a lot of them they do have to knock back a lot. They’ve been quite challenging on making sure that these are bona fide.

“It’s terrific that the players' association are aware of his circumstances and I’m pretty sure they’ll help him also.

“He’s a bit of an unusual one too because he was so late in getting picked up and we only signed his contract six weeks before the grand final initially in the first place anyway so we’ve been trying to re-sign but we’re not allowed to at the moment because of all the COVID restrictions. In the end that will work out for him but it’s been a bit uncomfortable for him in the short term.

“In reality the Marlion Pickett story is just unbelievable in itself. The AFL should almost be giving him $1 million for his story in reality because nearly everything we’ve spoken about for two weeks after the grand final involved him, so it’s a bit of an anomaly in that sense too.”

Balme said Pickett would also likely join Richmond’s Korin Gamadji Institute which describes itself as “a unique educational and training facility that supports and incubates leadership and employment pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”.

Player agent Colin Young told News Corp during the week that a couple of clubs would like to see the introduction of marquee players who could be paid outside the salary cap in light of the financial struggles the league will face as a result of the pandemic.

But Balme said that idea didn’t make much sense to him.

“It seems contrary to most things we’re trying to do,” he said.

“I do see, though, the reality now is that the world has changed, the finances will change, the TV deal could well change and the deal that the players have negotiated relates to the TV deal, et cetera, et cetera.

“So all sorts of things will change, but you do feel for the guys who have signed the longer-term contracts and all of a sudden someone’s going to come back and say, ‘Sorry mate, that doesn’t work anymore’.”

Balme would also like to see rule changes made for the 2020 season, such as shorter quarters and longer half-time breaks, retained beyond this year.

 

[tigerman]

Return serve by Balme

'AFL should give Pickett $1m': Tigers working to help premiership star
By Ronny Lerner
May 22, 2020 — 10.50am

Richmond football boss Neil Balme insists the Tigers are working hard with the AFL to ensure that premiership hero Marlion Pickett's financial struggles are resolved promptly.

The Age reported on Thursday that Pickett, who became the first player to win a flag on debut in 93 years, has been forced to access the AFL Players' Association hardship fund due to the coronavirus-enforced shutdown.

“The whole rookie thing is quite a challenge, particularly given these circumstances as well, and particularly a kid like him – he’s got a wife and four kids, it’s not as though he’s just on his own,” Balme told SEN on Friday.

“We’ve been working very hard behind the scenes, we’ve got a couple of genuine opportunities for him to do which are valuable for both him and for the community and for our club which I’m pretty sure the AFL will respond positively to.

“I do feel for them [the AFL] a little bit too because everyone’s got a great idea to spend money outside of the TPP [total player payments] and a lot of them they do have to knock back a lot. They’ve been quite challenging on making sure that these are bona fide.

“It’s terrific that the players' association are aware of his circumstances and I’m pretty sure they’ll help him also.

“He’s a bit of an unusual one too because he was so late in getting picked up and we only signed his contract six weeks before the grand final initially in the first place anyway so we’ve been trying to re-sign but we’re not allowed to at the moment because of all the COVID restrictions. In the end that will work out for him but it’s been a bit uncomfortable for him in the short term.

“In reality the Marlion Pickett story is just unbelievable in itself. The AFL should almost be giving him $1 million for his story in reality because nearly everything we’ve spoken about for two weeks after the grand final involved him, so it’s a bit of an anomaly in that sense too.”

Balme said Pickett would also likely join Richmond’s Korin Gamadji Institute which describes itself as “a unique educational and training facility that supports and incubates leadership and employment pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”.

Player agent Colin Young told News Corp during the week that a couple of clubs would like to see the introduction of marquee players who could be paid outside the salary cap in light of the financial struggles the league will face as a result of the pandemic.

But Balme said that idea didn’t make much sense to him.

“It seems contrary to most things we’re trying to do,” he said.

“I do see, though, the reality now is that the world has changed, the finances will change, the TV deal could well change and the deal that the players have negotiated relates to the TV deal, et cetera, et cetera.

“So all sorts of things will change, but you do feel for the guys who have signed the longer-term contracts and all of a sudden someone’s going to come back and say, ‘Sorry mate, that doesn’t work anymore’.”

Balme would also like to see rule changes made for the 2020 season, such as shorter quarters and longer half-time breaks, retained beyond this year.

Balmey will get things sorted for Marlion, in Balmey we trust.

 

[DavidSSS]

When you sign a playing contract you agree to give the AFL full transparency over your finances. Ken Wood essentially has power beyond even the ATO for AFL players and now officials, he can scrutinise bank accounts etc to look for any evidence of overpaying.

It's probably never happened before because AFL players don't generally need fundraisers but if football supporters donated a sum of money then it is most certainly going to be considered football related income and count in the cap.

Let me repeat though, I have no doubt the club will have made sure that Pickett and all of the other players that are financially vulnerable for whatever reason have been provided with what they need to get by.

This is a beat up.

Yeah, as I mentioned, great way to avoid the salary cap, GoFundMe as a virtual brown paper bag.

It really is a difficult one if fans can't raise funds independent of the club.

I was thinking it is a beat up and that Marlion would be taken care of.

But the real issue here is that the AFLPA f***ed up and should have protected the income of those on rookie wages.

DS

 

[Stig]

Blaming his manager for the story getting out, not the situation.

His manager doesn’t accept any fee from Marlion. . Nothing to gain by giving story . Also Jake Niall is very astute and obliging , wouldn’t of run with story unless all parties agreed , . This isn’t Tom Browne we are talking about ‍

 

[AngryAnt]

Without making moral judgements on having four kids at a young age, Pickett is definitely an outlier - most rookies are still living at home with their parents and can cope pretty easily on half wages. Still getting more than some.

I don't think you can blame the AFLPA or the AFL for this situation.

 

[Stig]

Don't forget there's plenty of people in the footy industry and the wider community who are much worse off.

The players received 50% of their pay for two pays and are now essentially back to a normal base with only a few reductions in bonuses. There's a lot of people out there who are getting paid nothing with no prospect of that changing anytime soon.

Without wanting to be harsh on Pickett, the reason he is in this situation is largely because he was a 26 year old father of four without a pot to *smile* in before he got his shot in footy. Most of the responsibility for that lies with him.



Managers take a percentage of earnings. No earnings, no percentage.

If you read the Neil Balme comments he talks about trying to unlock some opportunities for him. Player deals outside the salary cap have to be approved by the AFL, I've no doubt this is a way to help that process.

100% guarantee Anthony doesn’t charge Marlion 1cent .
I will tell you what the opportunities are
He is currently writing a book
Also Balmey we all love him but he is the king of deflection . Most have short memories on here , let’s turn the clock back to preliminary week 2018 when he stated “ nothing wrong with Dusty , he is raring to go “ , he couldn’t walk at Training let alone run . .Surely the club can lend him some money until his match payments come in each month , it’s not that hard ‍

 

[tigerman]

100% guarantee Anthony doesn’t charge Marlion 1cent .
I will tell you what the opportunities are
He is currently writing a book
Also Balmey we all love him but he is the king of deflection . Most have short memories on here , let’s turn the clock back to preliminary week 2018 when he stated “ nothing wrong with Dusty , he is raring to go “ , he couldn’t walk at Training let alone run . .Surely the club can lend him some money until his match payments come in each month , it’s not that hard ‍♂

That's correct, he manages Tim Kelly and doesn't charge him either.
When Marlion broke his finger for the second time last year requiring surgery he even paid for the operation.

 

[eZyT]

Without wanting to be harsh on Pickett, the reason he is in this situation is largely because he was a 26 year old father of four without a pot to *smile* in before he got his shot in footy. Most of the responsibility for that lies with him.

I agree with a lot of what you have said on this issue BR,

and I note you qualify your statement and youre being objective.

But I strongly disagree, as Balmey obviously does.

Like Balmey said (jeez I love Balmey), his situation is exceptionally anomalous.

Black (Balmey didnt say that, but implied it ....iindigenousness IS inseparable from getting rough deals, unfortunately), young father of large family, gets a gig late, stars in an unprecedented fashion on debut, becomes a media sensation, broke

The situation in so anomalous (and real), its not funny.

I was thinking, imagine if Marlion had a residuals contract on the vision of that pirouette

Like Don Adams had on Maxwell Smart, or Prince had on Kiss

imagine if every time that pirouette gets replayed, Marlion got 10 cents.

He'd already have a mansion in Cottesloe and he'd just sit back and rake in the dough for the next 100 years.

 

[tigerman]

It's not just your average punter who is struggling financially during the pandemic with Richmond's premiership hero Marlion Pickett feeling the pinch too.

Pickett has applied for financial assistance from an AFL players' hardship fund after the reduction of player payments during the coronavirus crisis hit home.

The 28-year-old is reportedly receiving about $3000 a month from his current one-year deal and has four children under the age of nine and is the family's sole breadwinner.


Pickett's manager Anthony Van Der Wielen told the Herald Sun that players on the lower end of the pay scale have been hit hard by the salary squeeze implemented by the AFL.

While Pickett might have the been the star of the grand final, his agent says the player is struggling to deal with the fall out from the virus. He said while the AFL uses clips of Pickett's move in the grand final to market the game, the Richmond star isn't living large.

Marlion Pickett was a grand final a hero. (Getty)
"You can't turn on a television at the moment without seeing Marlion's image,'' Van Der Wielen said.

"Marlion's handled it better than anyone else I know would've handled it and that's because he's come from fairly humble beginnings and he doesn't want or need for a lot,'' Van Der Wielen said.

"He's more worried about everybody else and how they're going than how's he going. That's Marlion's way.

Tigers star forced to apply for financial aid

Struggling to feed young family amid pandemic

wwos.nine.com.au

 

[Stig]

That's correct, he manages Tim Kelly and doesn't charge him either.
When Marlion broke his finger for the second time last year requiring surgery he even paid for the operation.

You are 100% correct

 

[eZyT]

His wife and kids are the obvious dependents,

But its also plausible his sudden fame and his culture collide to create a stack of dependents.

I feel pretty reassured Balmeys on it.

Altruism, fairness and club culture aside,

we want those kids well fed. important years for little tigers to lay done muscle and bone foundations

That's correct, he manages Tim Kelly and doesn't charge him either.
When Marlion broke his finger for the second time last year requiring surgery he even paid for the operation.

what a cool bloke. what's his story?

 

[Baloo]

His wife and kids are the obvious dependents,

But its also plausible his sudden fame and his culture collide to create a stack of dependents.

Not just plausible. From the original piece in The Age

He rents a home in Melbourne's inner north, where for a period of time, in addition to his partner and four kids, there were three other people living with him.

 

[caesar]

Ok, I have set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for Marlion and his family.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/premiers...dium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

The goal is $10,000. I have put in $100.

It says it can be done as a team fundraiser with a minimum five members. So if anyone would like to join me, send me a PM with your email and I will add you. The more the merrier to get the word to as many Richmond supporters as you can.

For those on other Richmond forums, it would be great if you could share the link. Please let me know if it doesn't work.

TF2017, Andy and Murph on drive home were discussing a supporter initiated Marlion GoFundMe page, (not sure if it was yours?), saying no way that money can or will make it's way to Marlion and it would be considered a rort.

 

[tigerman]

His wife and kids are the obvious dependents,

But its also plausible his sudden fame and his culture collide to create a stack of dependents.

I feel pretty reassured Balmeys on it.

Altruism, fairness and club culture aside,

we want those kids well fed. important years for little tigers to lay done muscle and bone foundations



what a cool bloke. what's his story?

I don't know a great deal about him, other than him being heavily involved with the South Fremantle FC. Has done well out of real estate, and has been a AFL player manager for quite a few years.