REACHING 150 games with Subiaco, representing the club in NAIDOC Week and now making history by playing with his son has made Allistair Pickett glad he returned in 2010 for a farewell WAFL season.
Pickett, who turns 37 next month, initially retired ahead of last year's grand final loss to South Fremantle, but felt he had plenty of football left in him and achievements that he still wanted to cross off that meant he felt he should return in 2010.
His form has suggested he made the right decision as he's kicked 22 goals in 13 games this season and had a big impact in several matches, but there's no question by the end of this season the Lions' champion will feel he has done everything possible in his stellar career.
That already included four premierships, two Sandover Medals, a fairest and best award, three state jumpers, being named in Subiaco's Team of the Century and a reputation as the best modern day WAFL footballer.
Now he has become a life member of Subiaco by reaching 150 games this season to go with the 22 he played with Peel Thunder and three with West Perth, and in Saturday's loss to South Fremantle became the first father to play with his son at state league level in Australia.
Alliston (Buddy) made his league debut at Medibank Stadium and the 17-year-old showed flashes of the skill and pace that his dad hopes will see him become a long-term WAFL player down the track.
The 36-year-old is pleased with the achievements he has ticked off so far in 2010 and hopes it ends with the Lions making the finals so he can play in his eighth straight finals campaign with the club.
"I didn’t really think about it coming into this year, but when I thought he was starting to play good football and I made the decision to come back I thought it might be a possibility," Allistair Pickett said.
"To play 150 games for the club, though, was one of the main motivations and to represent Subiaco with the NAIDOC jumper was another motivation and then to play with my son too.
"There was a few things that got me over the line and I've achieved all that now, and hopefully moving forward we can sneak in and play some finals footy. We aren’t that far off it, we just aren’t gelling too well at the moment but anything can happen."
One other bonus out of returning in 2010 for Pickett was to get to play with Marty Smith again after the 2007 premiership player took part in just six games in 2008 and none at all last year. The classy half-forward has kicked seven goals in five games this season so far.
"We sort of grew up together Marty and myself," he said.
"We are first cousins and grew up like brothers so to have him come back was another reason why I made the decision to go around again. It will be good to see him get fully fit and if he does he will have a massive impact like we know he can."
Playing with Buddy on Saturday will go down as one of Allistair's greatest moments of his career and amazingly matches a feat he achieved back when he was 17 when he played with his dad in the Great Southern Football League.
"This is pretty special. To play a game with the young bloke is something that's special. To get an opportunity to play with him at this level is high amongst everything else I've already achieved and it will stay with me for the rest of my life," he said.
"I think I was playing league football in the country with my old man. I played with my dad in the bush at Australs Football Club in Katanning, which was good. For Buddy to be playing league footy at state level at 17 is a great opportunity for him and hopefully he can learn from it."
The build-up to the game was certainly more than Allistair is used to as he has never been one to hunt the limelight. Playing with his son obviously was a unique occasion and one he felt took a while to adjust to, but Buddy didn’t have any such problems.
"He probably handled it all better than myself. I was sort of worried if it was the right time and thinking about if he was prepared and ready because I knew it was going to be a tough game," Pickett said.
"It put a little bit of pressure on myself and I don’t think it fazed him. He was looking forward to the challenge and prepared himself the best he could. I noticed I did watch out for him a little bit, but I tried not to too much.
"I was struggling enough to get a kick and was more worried about trying to get involved in the game and having an impact. It wasn’t meant to be. The game was up for grabs there and unfortunately we as a group didn’t do enough and came away with a loss."
Allistair feels that Buddy has the ability down the track to be a quality league player and given his dad didn’t play his first full WAFL season until he won the Sandover Medal at Peel when he was 29, he has plenty of time on his side.
"He played reasonably well and got into the right spots and gave an option up forward, but it's pretty hard when you have a main target like Broadhurst who demands the footy. He also grabs almost every opportunity that comes his way," he said.
"The more that Buddy plays at this level around the likes of Broadhurst, Campbell and Marty Smith the better he will be. I'm not sure if he'll stay in, but I think it would be good for his development and wouldn’t hurt him. That's up to the coaching staff though."
Subiaco remains in fourth spot after Saturday's 19-point loss to South Fremantle ahead of a run home against Claremont, East Fremantle, East Perth and South Fremantle after this week's bye.
Pickett senior hopes to play finals, but more so for young players like Reece Blechynden, Rory Muller, Rhett Kerr and Todd Richards to get a taste of it.
"We haven't got the side we had last year because of injuries and retirements, though, and it's a little bit different but I still think that we've got a good enough side to make the finals and then who knows once you are in there," he said.
"I would really love for these young guys who are playing here now to experience finals footy and if I can have an impact on getting them over the line just so we can play finals then that will be good, and that's what I'm hoping for."
