| Derek Kickett | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Derek Kickett | ||
| Date of birth | (1962-10-06)6 October 1962 (age 62) | ||
| Place of birth | Kellerberrin, Western Australia | ||
| Original team(s) | West Perth | ||
| Draft | No. 60,1988 national draft | ||
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Weight | 88 kg (194 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1984 – 1986 | West Perth | 38(93) | |
| 1986 – 1987 | Claremont | 32(70) | |
| 1988 | Central District | 25(48) | |
| 1989 | North Melbourne | 12(12) | |
| 1990 – 1993 | Essendon | 77(94) | |
| 1994 – 1996 | Sydney | 63(73) | |
| 1997 | Subiaco | 12(29) | |
| Total | 259 (419) | ||
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1997. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
Leading Goal Kicker West Perth Football Club 1984 Claremont Premiership side 1987 R/Up Best & Fairest Claremont Football Club 1987 Record Number of Votes (46) Most in the Sandover Medal Count 1987 State Game WA vs SA, Best Player Award WACA 16 June 1987 State of Origin Game WA vs VIC, WACA 16 May 1989 State of Origin Game WA vs VIC, WACA 16 June 1990 State of Origin Game WA vs VIC MCG 26 May 1992 Leon Larkin Medal Winner WA vs VIC MCG 26 May 1992 Night Premiership Essendon vs Richmond 1993 State game WA vs Allies, Subiaco Oval 18 June 1995 State of Origin Game WA vs SA Football Park 2 June 1996 Graham Moss Medal Winner WA vs SA Football Park 2 June 1996 | |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Derek Thomas Kickett (born 6 October 1962) is a formerAustralian rules footballer. Kickett played with seven differentVFL/AFL,WAFL andSANFL clubs during his career.
Derek is related to a number of other past and present high-profile AFL footballers from the Kickett family, includingDale Kickett andLance "Buddy" Franklin, who are both his nephews. His other nephews areByron Pickett and Jarrod Garlett. A well-known cousin of Derek Kickett's isNicky Winmar.[1]
Kickett played in the junior ranks atCentral District in theSouth Australian National Football League, including their U-19s Premiership in 1981. Beginning his senior career in theWest Australian Football League withWest Perth, he was the leading goalkicker atWest Perth in 1984.[2] After falling out with the Falcons earlyin the 1986 season, Kickett, along with veteranPeter Spencer, applied for a clearance toClaremont, which at first was denied[3] but accepted a week later.[4] Whilst Spencer played only two senior games for Claremont and returned for his last season to his original home at East Perth, Derek Kickett fitted in perfectly and was a key member of the Tigers’ record-breaking1987 team that finished with twenty-one consecutive unbeaten matches and their sixth senior flag. Kickett polled 46 votes in theSandover Medal in 1987, which was the most of any player that season, but was ineligible to win due to a suspension for slapping East Fremantle'sTim Gepp. Kickett would have won the Sandover Medal by sixteen votes if he had been eligible.Note 1,[5]
Kickett returned to Central District in 1988 for one season.In 1989, he was recruited byNorth Melbourne in theVictorian Football League, where he also played only one season before being delisted.[6]
In 1990, Kickett moved to theEssendon Football Club, where he played four seasons, and became a popular cult figure, known for confident playing style, high leap, evasive skills and his long kicking ability. He was a renowned proponent of thetorpedo punt. He played every match in 1992 and 1993, up to the preliminary final of 1993, before being infamously omitted from the Bombers' winning1993 AFL Grand Final team by coachKevin Sheedy. The omission continues to be one of the most controversial decisions of Sheedy's coaching career, but Sheedy still defends the decision, stating that Kickett's form was poor (as he had a total of 15 disposals in the three finals) and that his lack of endurance would have been a specific weakness for the team againstCarlton, Essendon's opponent on the day. Kickett immediately walked out on the club; he did not watch the Grand Final, nor did he celebrate the victory with his teammates. Kickett and Sheedy did not speak to each again until 2018, some 25 years later.[6]
After leaving Essendon, Kickett was drafted by theSydney Swans. He played three seasons at Sydney, and his last game of AFL football was in the1996 AFL Grand Final, which Sydney lost against North Melbourne. Kickett returned to the WAFL in 1997, playing that season withSubiaco, before retiring.[2]
Kickett has made several notable appearances in theE. J. Whitten Legends Game. In 2007, he ran development programs forAFL Victoria working with indigenous children.[7]
In 2017, Kickett was inducted into the Western Australia Football Hall of Fame.[8]
