Belief: From prison to premiership glory; this is Marlion Pickett's extraordinary story

by Marlion Pickett, Dave Warner

From prison to premiership glory; this is Marlion Pickett’s extraordinary story. It’s the third quarter in the biggest game of the season. A young man lines up for goal.  The 100,000 strong crowd leaps to its feet and roars as Marlion Pickett sends the ball soaring through the goalposts for his first ever major, celebrated by every teammate, a tradition upheld even on Grand Final day.It was the 2019 AFL Grand Final, and Richmond’s Marlion Pickett was making history as the first player in over 50 years to debut on that ‘one day in September’.Marlion helped the Tigers thrash the Greater Western Sydney Giants in their debut grand final appearance and was judged third best on ground, only six days after steering Richmond’s VFL team with his best on ground performance to their nail biting Grand Final victory.Marlion Pickett’s extraordinary story of redemption is a true fairy tale. The tale of a man who came back from the brink to triumph on Australian sport’s biggest stage, a long-held dream come true.What’s even more remarkable about Marlion’s journey is how this young, troubled Aboriginal kid from Western Australia ever got his chance in the first place. A story all too sadly familiar – about drugs, crime, violence and time spent in jail – but also about a life picked up piece by piece through his own belief in himself and those around him who believed in him too.Belief also takes us inside the South Fremantle and Richmond Football clubs – clubs that have made stars and cult heroes out of other Indigenous players; clubs willing to overlook a talented kid’s troubled past to give him a chance. We meet the fellow players and support network who stood by Marlion’s side as he fought back against injury and the doubters and proudly ran onto the field at the MCG.Marlion’s resilience and strength is inspirational. His is an unforgettable Australian story of triumph over adversity.Foreword by Brendan Gale, CEO Richmond Football Club and Damien Hardwick, Senior Coach Richmond Football Club '[Belief reads] like a Steinbeck novel cum Tarantino film due to the vividly unfolding drama on almost every page.' Dr Sean Gorman, AFL.com.au 'The story of Marlion Pickett is one of tumult and pain and uplift - yet also endurance, and stoicism. And that makes Belief not merely inspiring but instructive, too. With colour and heart, Dave Warner expertly sketches his softly spoken subject, and tells one of those rare athletic tales from which we can all learn, and through which footy - sport in general, for that matter - can transcend itself.' Konrad Marshall ''Inspirational' is an over-used word, but it should be kept in reserve for a story like Marlion Pickett's. Here is someone who didn't rise above disadvantage so much as discover his true self and remain true to it through trials and obstacles that are foreign to most Australians. Reading Marlion's story, it is comforting to know that there is a happy football ending - the 2019 grand final which concludes the book, then more premiership glory and an authentic career as an AFL star. But even without that knowledge, Marlion has set an example for anyone who loses hope in a better future. Yes - inspirational.' Malcolm Knox

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2020

Reviews

[John Dove · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Marlion Pickett is extraordinary. In this book it is told with grace and honesty, thought the writing at times suffers from the distance of Marlion’s co-writer, Dave Warner. Thought it is billed as an autobiography, ‘Belief’ is a tale told predominantly by an outsider. It is clear that while Pickett has been extensively involved in the shaping of this book, the narrative of the biography (and biographies are by necessity works of narrative) has been crafted by Warner. The writing is not dispassionate, but could perhaps be refined at points. This is largely made up for by Pickett’s openness in sharing his story, especially considering he is someone very new to the limelight and from a very different background to those who usually enjoy its glow. On the whole this was quite an enjoyable read for me and I look forward to the next chapter in Marlion’s story.

[Luke Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding book that gives insight into the battle many indigenous communities have and what it takes in those environments to overcome the odds and make it to the elite level of sport. After reading the book you feel like you have a much greater understanding of the real life struggles and a great insight into Marlion Pickett, the man, husband, father and footballer.
My favourite quote in the book was the very last chapter when it recalls the moment of Marlion’s goal in the Grand Final (his debut)
“When Marlion kicked the goal it was life affirming. Those watching celebrated not only a goal, not just one individuals triumph, but our shared humanity.” How awesome!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great biography not just for AFL fans and an interesting insight into the lives of many Aboriginal Australians. I have so much respect for Marlion Pickett's dedication to turning his life around in spite of all the challenges he faced.

[Liahm O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be a great recount of Marlion’s journey so far. It’s an insight into Indigenous Australia that sadly gets glossed over by mainstream media all too often. Moreover, there is no glorification or justification for Marlion’s actions that landed him in gaol. Rather, the message is reinforced that there is a chance at redemption for all people.

I also liked that the book was not written in first person. These can often be fluffy and not give a proper description of a person, or they can not be fully self-assessing. In this case, readers are able to see Marlion take full responsibility of his actions, as well as read the stories of others that have helped along the way. Not only does this provide a fuller picture of Marlion the person, but it also allows people to understand the ways in which we can support others that are doing it tough.

My only issues were that the book could be repetitive in spots, particularly when recounting the history of Richmond. In addition, there is an inaccurate statement made - the book says that Richmond won the 1944 VFL Grand Final when in fact, they were runners up to Fitzroy.

[Dominic]

I rarely read autobiographies. A lot of them are stories I don't actually want to read while the others seem like a waste of time for some reason. I have a biased towards fiction as what a book should be, probably dating back to childhood. These three sentences in themselves are an example of how bad an autobiography can be. Most of the great fictitious literary works carry an auto biographical element to them. What are stories if not a representation of life? Once that barrier is removed and non-fiction begins though it seems that the "matter of fact" story telling and recounts fail to lure me in.

With that preface out of the way I can report that I did enjoy the life story of Marlion Pickett. It was a story that I was familiar with and already had been gripped by when watching it play out in real life. This background to the story is the factor that kept me moving through the book. It was a case where the fairytale of the story was already something I experienced and what I was craving was a straight re-telling of it from behind the scenes. Missing chunks of information were illuminated. While it was great to read these segments whether or not they actually elevated the story is debatable.

To criticise a fiction book is to criticise someones creative attempt that is open for criticism. To criticise an autobiography is to criticise someones life. In this context I'll keep the major criticism, although I hate being a critic, to that the writing was far too oversimplified. This could be a limitation of the author (who was not Marlion Pickett) or it could just be writing towards a target audience. Regardless of the reason what it did was overly simplify parts and fail to maintain a grip of its reader.

[Amie Davison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marlion is proof that no matter how bad your childhood and teens are you CAN turn it around and live your dreams.
As a born and bred Richmond supporter this book not only has me respecting Marlion more but also what he stands for and also what the club stands for.
Marlion’s story should be an inspiration for any young Indigenous person with dreams of playing in the AFL.

[Brigid O'Meara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always had love for Marlion, and now I have even more. It’s an important story to be told. The co-writing was clunky and it took a while to get into but once I could see passed that I was hooked. I get why it had to be co-written, but perhaps Marlion can have another crack in the future. Do great things Marlion ❤️❤️

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not just an outstanding AFL story, but an astounding story of a life.

[Jeremy Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

An incredible story of resilience.
Brought me to tears several times.
The writing is full of cliches and naff metaphors, but it doesn’t matter - the story does its own telling.

[Marcela · Rating 5 out of 5]

So inspiring and an eye opener of how indigenous people live and grow.

[Daniel Bunworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting story of trouble and tribulations!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Resilience, persistence and having amazing family and support help you achieve your goals in the end. Wonderful story.

[Kim Manic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this. How Marlion persevered and never gave up on his dream of becoming an AFL footballer, while overcoming the many challenges he faced. A great read!

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. If you want to understand the issues that face indigenous footballers then you have to read this book. Marlion is a great role model but, as the book highlights, it is the people who have guided him once he started playing footy at South Fremantle who became the male role models who gave him the guidance that he lacked from his father.

[J.D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watching football all my life, I've come to recognise that certain adjectives are reserved for players of Indigenous descent. Sublime, Silky, Magic, Velvet; I don't know if this was a conscious (or racial) thing, shepherding those words to exclusively mean aboriginal players, but that's the way it seems to have evolved. There is no doubt that the smoothness of movement they display in a chaotic moving cycle of footy encapsulates those terms. Marlion was all that. He positively looked lackadaisical at times yet was rarely tackled.
Great story that is told competently. Tells a lot of his character, it doesn't shy away from his blues, and he holds his hand up for them. I was ignorant of the nitty-gritty but knew enough about the blokes' background to realise the absolute struggle he must have gone through to reach the highest level and live out every AFL fans dream. Kudos to the Richmond Footy Club for the fairy tale, it was the perfect alignment for this narrative to unfold. Respect.