Kysaiah Pickett


Kysaiah Klem Paul Kropinyeri-Pickett is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League. A forward, he is tall and weighs.
Pickett is the nephew of former Demons players Neville Jetta and Byron Pickett and a second cousin of former Richmond player Marlion Pickett.
He was nominated for the 2020 AFL Rising Star award in round 11 of the 2020 AFL season.

Early life

Pickett was born on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia but raised in Quairading, Western Australia before returning to South Australia with his uncle, former AFL player Byron Pickett. Initially, he played junior football with Port District in Largs Bay, before boarding at Prince Alfred College where he was part of the school's 1st XVIII, and was regarded as one of the most exciting players in the private school football system. Pickett played his senior football in Adelaide with as a small forward in 2019 and also selected in South Australia's Under 18 team. He was predicted to go high in the draft and Melbourne, his uncle Byron's last AFL club, announced its intention to recruit him.
Pickett was selected by Melbourne with the 12th overall pick in the 2019 AFL draft which it received from. Pickett was the club's second pick taken by Melbourne behind Luke Jackson.

AFL Career

Pickett made his AFL debut in Round 1, 2020 against at Perth Stadium. He played 14 games in his debut season earning a Rising Star nomination in round 11 following Melbourne's 57-point win over, when Pickett kicked a goal and had 12 possessions.
In June 2020, Pickett was suspended for one match for breaching AFL COVID-19 protocols after he and teammate Charlie Spargo travelled via an Uber to an unauthorised house for a gathering.
In 2021, Pickett played all 25 of Melbourne's games through their finals campaign. Pickett earned a premiership medal as Melbourne won the Grand Final, though he was held to four possessions and three tackles in the game.
Pickett played 23 games in 2022 for Melbourne kicking 41 goals, missing only Melbourne's round 7 game against due to Health and Safety protocols. In 2023, Pickett kicked four goals in Melbourne's opening game of the season against the Western Bulldogs, but was suspended two games for a high bump on Bulldogs player Bailey Smith.
In September of 2023, Pickett was handed a one-match ban by the Match Review Officer's verdict after a head-high hit on Patrick Cripps that left the superstar Carlton captain bloodied. Melbourne went on to lose that match, giving them a fourth consecutive finals loss. In 2024, Pickett received a third suspension in just over a year for head high contact, this time against Jake Soligo of. Prior to the 2025 season, Pickett played in the Indigenous All-Stars representative match against. He kicked a goal in the 43-point win.
Reaching career-best form in 2025, including five goals and 24 disposals against, rumours began to spread that Pickett would request a move to a South Australian or Western Australian club in the upcoming off-season. However, in June 2025, Pickett signed a seven year contract extension, keeping him at the club for nine years and a reported $12.5 million dollar salary over that period, breaking records across the league.

Personal life

Pickett identifies with the Yamatji Noongar and Ngarrindjeri nations. His father Kevin Kropinyeri designed Melbourne's 2025 Sir Doug Nicholls Round guernsey using traditional Ngarrindjeri artstyles.

Statistics

! colspan=3 | Career
! 126 !! 201 !! 142 !! 1104 !! 462 !! 1566 !! 306 !! 425 !! 1.5 !! 1.1 !! 8.7 !! 3.6 !! 12.4 !! 2.4 !! 3.3 !! 21

Honours and achievements

Team
  • AFL premiership player : 2021
  • AFL minor premiership : 2021
  • McClelland Trophy : 2021, 2023
Individual