Kozzy Homesick & Wants to Leave?

[whatwhat say what 23,489]

reads to me like he knows he's under contract and can't force a trade

[Little Goffy 14,768]

On 13/02/2025 at 07:52, Purple77 said:

The AFL community unfortunately has had a Jedi mind trick played on them that compels them to think Shai Bolton is a better player than Koz.

Which would make taking a lesser return even more infuriating. 

Seriously, even comparing the numbers for 23yr old Pickett and 26 year old Bolton last year, Bolton's 'lead' over Pickett per game works out to;

4 handballs, 1 mark, 1.5 clearances, 1.5 running bounces, and 50m gained. Oh, and also, an extra clanger and turnover per game.

Reflecting a different role with a lot more space to work in, and in a different style of team (the entire Demon's side collectively take about 3 running bounces per game!), but certainly not reflecting any great difference in ability or impact.

Having said that, I would've loved to add Bolton to our list as I think he provides the urgent movement we are in need of, but even then I would never have considered him for the trade price and likely salary cap expectation which Freo have given up. I also would have immediately rejected a straight swap for Pickett. So that sums that up, I guess.

It would be fascinating to unpick Freo's salary cap structure, with Jackson, Bolton, and not forgetting Will Brodie was a salary cap dump trade for Gold Coast. The Sean Darcy contract to 2030 and the Hayden Young to 2033(!) could be very important for how things work out as they try to keep their little cluster of currently still very young stars. They could easily get stuck in the 'admirable but not quite' zone of Daniher's 2001-2006, without being able to gather any more talent to push the extra step. That would set 2022 'Flagmantle' as their 2000 Demons' season with the surge of youthful enthusiasm. The analogy holds!

[Yze_13 301]

Problem with Koz is that he texts people (naïvely) what they want to hear, thinking it won’t make it into the public domain. 

I suspect if Jon Ralph had done proper due diligence he would have found a trove of texts to Melbourne players saying he was committed to the club and wanted to be there for life. 
 

Anyway - He’s been told he won’t be traded while in contract under any circumstances. So that should put it to bed for three years at least.

[Garbo 1,559]

So nothing changed, it’s up to freo or wc to make us an offer or they can wait till end of 2027 and we get band 1 compensation. Personally I think he’s to important to let go while we still in a premiership window if that has changed at the conclusion of this season then maybe reloading with multiple 1st round picks is the better bet

Edited February 14 by Garbo

[MrFreeze 2,038]

9 minutes ago, whatwhat say what said:

reads to me like he knows he's under contract and can't force a trade

More so that he has signed for his contract but the management know he intends to be traded interstate at some point. 

He would've signed it knowing he was unlikely to be traded during thag time. Probably no coincidence it takes him to being a restricted free agent which still gives us leverage to get a decent trade.

Looks like the club and koz are on the same page.

[mmwd6 235]

Some of you are in deep denial. That interview is like the worst possible version of “contracted player wants trade but can’t openly say it.” 
 

him saying he’s contracted doesn’t mean he’s not trying again this year, it literally just means it’s the only thing he can actually say in this situation. Other players have played it much better. Talk about how excited they sure to build and grow with the club/have success etc. 

 

[Demonland 73,587]

‘Have to do my time’: Pickett breaks silence on trade reports

Melbourne forward Kysaiah Pickett has broken his silence about reports he’s pursuing a trade to Fremantle, conceding that he is suffering from homesickness.

Pickett has been at the forefront of headlines over a potential move to the Dockers, fanning the flames after liking a social media post about a possible move.

The Herald Sun revealed that Pickett has been texting his mates who play for Fremantle telling them he will be in Dockers colours next year. The 23-year-old is contracted to the Demons until the end of 2027 and has previously explored his trade options.

Asked about the conversations he’d been having with Dockers players, Pickett said that it was normal for him to text friends around the league.

“I’ve got friends,” he said. “I’m allowed to talk to them I guess.

“I’m contracted at Melbourne. I’m having fun there and I love it at the club.”

Pressed on whether he’d like to move to Perth to play for Fremantle, Pickett added: “I’m still contracted at Melbourne.”

Asked whether his text messages specifically outlined a desire to play for Fremantle, Pickett said: “I just text like general friends. I’m pretty close with some of them.”

Pickett did concede that he was suffering from homesickness and he expressed this to Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin at the end of last season.

“Being away in Melbourne, there’s always a bit of homesickness but I’m still contracted and I still have to do my time there,” he said.

“We always have open and honest conversations. To be able to express myself and express my homesickness as a part of that relationship means we’re pretty close.”

Melbourne says it has no plans to entertain trade talks about superstar Pickett amid the most impressive pre-season of his career.

“He is going as well as anyone at the footy club and it has just shown everyone how engaged he is,” Goodwin told the Herald Sun. “He is as engaged as I have ever seen.

“So, we love having him at the footy club. He loves the people here and that is really clear, and we want him to play for Melbourne for life.”

Speaking at the Clontarf Foundation ahead of the Indigenous All Stars clash against Fremantle on Saturday, Pickett said it was an honour to represent his people.

“It’s one of the bigger games I look up to, coming and playing in front of my family,” he said. “Being able to showcase myself … I represent all of my family.

“I think that’s the best thing about these camps, giving back to the community and trying to inspire the next generation.”

Pickett’s cousin Isaiah Dudley is also currently a train-on at Fremantle. Also an electric small forward, Pickett said that Dudley was enjoying his time at the club as he attempts to make his AFL dream a reality.

“I have been speaking to him a bit,” he said. “He’s having fun.

“He missed his opportunity a few years ago and credit to him he’s been working his butt off. If he gets a shot to try and prove himself, he deserves a spot at the top level. He’s made for it.”

FULL TRANSCRIPT: Kozzie Pickett breaks his silence

Reporter: You’ve been linked to a move back to WA. There are reports around that you want to come to Freo and you’ve already been texting some boys. What do you make of those reports and do you want to head back to Perth?
KP: “I’ve got friends. I’m allowed to talk to them I guess. I’m contracted at Melbourne. I’m having fun there and I love it at the club."
Reporter: So there’s no truth to the fact that you want to come to Perth?
KP: “I’m still contracted at Melbourne."
Reporter: There was a rumour around that you were maybe trying to come back at the end of last year’s trade period and that you were a bit homesick. Was that true as well?
KP: “Being away in Melbourne, there’s always a bit of homesickness but I’m still contracted and I have to do my time there."
Reporter: Can you take us inside that conversation you had with Simon Goodwin and speaking a bit about that homesickness?
KP: “We always have open and honest conversations. To be able to express myself and express my homesickness as a part of that relationships means we’re pretty close."
Reporter: So those text messages to your friends, have you expressed a desire to specifically come and play for Fremantle?
KP: “I just text like general friends. I’m pretty close with some of them."
Reporter: There’s been a few social media posts about a potential move to Fremantle that accounts linked to your name have liked and been associated with. Do they belong to you?
AFL spokesperson: “I think he’s already answered that one.”

[demoncat 1,629]

2 minutes ago, mmwd6 said:

Some of you are in deep denial. That interview is like the worst possible version of “contracted player wants trade but can’t openly say it.” 
 

him saying he’s contracted doesn’t mean he’s not trying again this year, it literally just means it’s the only thing he can actually say in this situation. Other players have played it much better. Talk about how excited they sure to build and grow with the club/have success etc. 

 

As soon as you hear a player refer to their contract status you know they want to be gone 😅

[Roost it far 9,685]

44 minutes ago, demoncat said:

Love your work @Roost it far but it’s head in stand stuff to not think he’d be at Freo right now if he had the choice 

Sure but he doesn’t have a choice and we’ve got 3 years to convince him to stay 

[dazzledavey36 55,916]

Lol he's a funny one koz.. you can tell he's obviously told his freo brothers that he's keen to join the club.

Didn't exactly shut it down or deny. 

But he's contracted to the end of 2027 and I expect him to see that out.

[Deestar9 1,775]

26 minutes ago, mmwd6 said:

Some of you are in deep denial. That interview is like the worst possible version of “contracted player wants trade but can’t openly say it.” 
 

him saying he’s contracted doesn’t mean he’s not trying again this year, it literally just means it’s the only thing he can actually say in this situation. Other players have played it much better. Talk about how excited they sure to build and grow with the club/have success etc. 

 

I think we’ve covered this in other topics.  You or me take what interpretation we want to . He didn’t deny he was homesick ..he admits he talks/ texts friends …he’s allowed too. He  acknowledged /confirmed he's contracted at MFC and will “do his time”. He’s not a Wordsmith ..he’s a proud 23 yr old indigenous young man who has unfairly been put under the spotlight by relentless media & (hopefully he’s not aware of this )  a ridiculous amount of posting about it in here. We went through it with Trac ..he stayed ..we went through it with Clarry ..he stayed. Kozzie is playing for us in 2025 so let’s just focus on 2025. 

[daisycutter 29,897]

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Lol he's a funny one koz.. you can tell he's obviously told his freo brothers that he's keen to join the club.

Didn't exactly shut it down or deny. 

But he's contracted to the end of 2027 and I expect him to see that out.

but, is he homesick for south australia, west australia or the northern territory.  i'm confused

[DubDee 26,337]

Got to do my time?

 

Whoa

He is Gone

[dazzledavey36 55,916]

23 minutes ago, Deestar9 said:

I think we’ve covered this in other topics.  You or me take what interpretation we want to . He didn’t deny he was homesick ..he admits he talks/ texts friends …he’s allowed too. He  acknowledged /confirmed he's contracted at MFC and will “do his time”. He’s not a Wordsmith ..he’s a proud 23 yr old indigenous young man who has unfairly been put under the spotlight by relentless media & (hopefully he’s not aware of this )  a ridiculous amount of posting about it in here. We went through it with Trac ..he stayed ..we went through it with Clarry ..he stayed. Kozzie is playing for us in 2025 so let’s just focus on 2025. 

No, he put himself under the spotlight by going on a Fremantle docker fan page and liking comments of him wanting to be at Freo next year.

Its not a once off incident  because he continued on liking several other comments linking him to Freo.

And remembering these are comments from relatives of his as well..

[Mel Bourne 4,537]

8 minutes ago, DubDee said:

Got to do my time?

 

Whoa

He is Gone

He obviously can’t go anywhere physically, but I’m not sure how you get 100% out of a player who talks about his contract like it’s a pr**on sentence. 
 

(I had to spell that word as such to circumvent our very eager censor bot. For the record - it is a metaphor)

[Dee*ceiving 1,724]

IMO Koz handled that really well. 

He was honest

Acknowledged he is contracted 3 more seasons

Confirmed he's homesick at times and has friends at Freo

But also noted he loves the club and that he can be himself and can have honest conversations. 

He may still seek to get to Freo at the end of the year but ideally the narrative becomes, "KP is contracted guys, if you really want him make Melbourne an offer that's too good to refuse, or perhaps you don't want him as much as you'd like everyone to think?"

[Rab D Nesbitt 8,785]

If the club follow him online the least they can do is give these posts a thumbs down or vomit emoji. 

[Whispering_Jack 31,201]

The Dockers have upped the ante by signing Kozzie’s cousin Isaiah Dudley under the SSP. Time for uncle Roy to step up!

[Dannyz 3,012]

The club told Kozzy they wouldn’t trade him in any circumstance this year so it’s hard to imagine we could tow the same line out for another year when there’s family and children factors at play. 
I’m not all that sure his partner wants to live in Perth but no doubt that’s what Kozzy wants.

We just need to extract what we can from him this year, work on keeping him focused at the task at hand and work out the best deal possible with the Fremantle club at the end of

the year. 

[demoncat 1,629]

18 minutes ago, Dannyz said:

The club told Kozzy they wouldn’t trade him in any circumstance this year so it’s hard to imagine we could tow the same line out for another year when there’s family and children factors at play. 
I’m not all that sure his partner wants to live in Perth but no doubt that’s what Kozzy wants.

We just need to extract what we can from him this year, work on keeping him focused at the task at hand and work out the best deal possible with the Fremantle club at the end of

the year. 

Thanks Dannyz - although I hope the club doesn’t let Kozzy and his management hold us hostage by not exploring a trade with West Coast 

If he wants to go home that’s fair enough, but last I checked there are two teams in WA and we have final say 

Edited February 14 by demoncat

[Dee*ceiving 1,724]

10 minutes ago, demoncat said:

Thanks Dannyz - although I hope the club doesn’t let Kozzy and his management hold us hostage by not exploring a trade with West Coast 

If he wants to go home that’s fair enough, but last I checked there are two teams in WA and we have final say 

It's the media that will hold us to ransom I'm afraid.  They'll pour it on us thick as the bad guys if we hold him to his contract or god forbid, seek fair compensation

[Dannyz 3,012]

11 minutes ago, demoncat said:

Thanks Dannyz - although I hope the club doesn’t let Kozzy and his management hold us hostage by not exploring a trade with West Coast 

If he wants to go home that’s fair enough, but last I checked there are two teams in WA and we have final say 

I agree but he is super intent on joining Fremantle for his own reasons. 
In fact, the days of moving to the state of choice is gone. It’s the club who’s done the most in work on tapping up a talent from that state. 

[DistrACTION Jackson 10,280]

29 minutes ago, Dannyz said:

The club told Kozzy they wouldn’t trade him in any circumstance this year so it’s hard to imagine we could tow the same line out for another year when there’s family and children factors at play. 
I’m not all that sure his partner wants to live in Perth but no doubt that’s what Kozzy wants.

We just need to extract what we can from him this year, work on keeping him focused at the task at hand and work out the best deal possible with the Fremantle club at the end of

the year. 

The club can stick with whatever they want… he has a contract and he has to honour it unless we get something worthwhile. He obviously knows that given his answers today. Maybe his missus will get in his ear and say she’s not keen on moving anyway

[Roost it far 9,685]

41 minutes ago, Dannyz said:

The club told Kozzy they wouldn’t trade him in any circumstance this year so it’s hard to imagine we could tow the same line out for another year when there’s family and children factors at play. 
I’m not all that sure his partner wants to live in Perth but no doubt that’s what Kozzy wants.

We just need to extract what we can from him this year, work on keeping him focused at the task at hand and work out the best deal possible with the Fremantle club at the end of

the year. 

He signed the contract last year? I’m not sure why we’d let him go if he’s contracted unless there was extenuating circumstances and Freo could offer serious picks in return. Thats something I don’t think they can do. For mine he honours his contract as Petracca and Oliver will do.

[Deestar9 1,775]

1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

No, he put himself under the spotlight by going on a Fremantle docker fan page and liking comments of him wanting to be at Freo next year.

Its not a once off incident  because he continued on liking several other comments linking him to Freo.

And remembering these are comments from relatives of his as well..

You’re obviously not in tune with 23yr olds & social media. Don’t particularly care about any of that.. he is playing this year at MFC ? ..uh yes. I guess in my life ..I don’t waste time beating myself up with what will happen in the future ..I will just enjoy watching him this year …