Dream come true for Kickett with Dockers

Leon Kickett might not have quite caught where he was going in the AFL Rookie Draft just like he missed the announcement of his WAFL league debut with Swan Districts, but heading to the Fremantle Dockers is a dream come true.

Kickett has grown up always a big fan of the Dockers with his uncle Dale having a standout career with Fremantle where he played 135 matches between 1995-2002 along with winning the 1997 Doig Medal and being named to their best team of the first 25 years.

Both Kickett and his entire family would have been happy if he went to any AFL club, but given their connection with the Dockers it was extra special when he was selected in last Friday’s Rookie Draft by Fremantle.

Kickett was trying to help out with some jobs around the house while the Rookie Draft was on so he did miss hearing that it was the Dockers who selected, but Instagram soon solved the mystery.

“I was definitely trying to connect to the speaker just to listen out and I was pretty much dawdling around the house just to try and listen for my name to get called out, and then we heard Leon Kickett but didn’t hear what pick it was,” Kickett said.

“Then we all just froze at the time and then when we saw the Instagram page we all just jumped up and about, and that’s when we kinda saw it so it was a bit up and down until we got the chance to see that. Cheers to the Instagram page I guess.”

It brought back memories to Kickett when he missed the announcement in the team meeting at Swan Districts ahead of his Round 19 debut against the West Coast Eagles.

“I kinda missed the meeting when they had it and I was still sitting in there talking when they announced that I was debuting,” he said.

“So I didn’t really hear it, but when I got in the room we were all just laughing about it and I just looked up and saw my name, and didn’t really have much of an idea but it was a pretty good moment at that time.”

Given the family connection to the Dockers and with Leon himself always being a Fremantle supporter, he couldn’t be happier for that to now be where he’ll be starting his AFL journey.

“It was pretty good ending up here, it’s been a good opportunity for me knowing all our family are big supporters of Freo,” Kickett said.

“Obviously landing here just made it 100 times better. I’ve always watched the Kickett highlights and just growing up I always wanted to do the same, and now the opportunity’s here for me to play at the Dockers knowing Dale’s been here so it’s real good.”

Fremantle also has a proud and rich legacy of embracing Indigenous players over the club’s 30-year history too and one player that Kickett has always admired from affair who he’ll now call a teammate is Shai Bolton.

“It’s probably Shai, he’s one of the players I grew up watching when he was at Richmond and I would love just to be mentored by him, and learn every step that he takes,” Kickett said.

“I’d kinda like just to be in his shadow a little bit. I haven’t spoken to him yet, but I’m hoping he comes in tomorrow or something so we can have a good yarn and I can’t wait for him to come in.”