Melbourne draftee Latrelle Pickett didn't expect to get picked up by an AFL club, let alone storm into first-round calculations.
But when he was hurried back to Melbourne ahead of Wednesday night's unveiling of top-end selections, and "snuck" into Marvel Stadium, his dream was quickly realised.
"Yeah, I did have to sneak in tonight," Pickett said shortly after he was taken with Pick 12.
"I was here on Friday, and I flew out Monday, and then had to come back. So I got told, I think yesterday, so pretty late, and, yeah, to fly over this morning."
The promise of joining the Demons, and cousin Kysaiah Pickett, seemed far-fetched until he saw the premiership superstar on stage with a red and blue guernsey.
"That was pretty crazy," Latrelle said.
"I had no clue that he was hiding back there, so I heard him presenting the guernsey, and I was like, 'What did they say that right?'. So yeah, I was pretty happy and excited, and especially to see him come walking out. Yeah, I was pretty happy."
'Kozzie' played an active hand in Melbourne's draft strategy this year, which proved to be crucial in securing Latrelle.
The pair will be living together over the summer months, helping the younger Pickett acclimate to being an AFL footballer.
The Glenelg product has looked up to his cousin for many years, and expressed how "important" it will be to line up alongside a family member in 2026 and beyond.
"I'd be heaps important," he said.
"That's why, I think, a reason why they want to pick me up Melbourne, just to be around Kozzie, I guess.
"He's like a big brother to me, so yeah. And I think I'll actually be moving in with him for the first half, first bit to Christmas break. So yeah, they'll settle me in a bit. I get pretty comfortable."
Demons national recruiting manager Jason Taylor identified the small forward role as an area of need for the club, which also drafted defender Xavier Taylor with Pick 11.
"It was an area of the ground that we wanted to add to. There were some quality small forwards in it, and we really like what Latrelle offers," Taylor said to reporters following the first night of the 2025 draft.
"We feel that he is exactly the type of small forward we need to add to our mix.
"Footy needs some wonderful stories, and that really added to it. We knew that Latrelle was in the mix, and we wanted to make it a special thing with the jumper presentation.
"We tried to keep it under wraps as best we could and make that happen if it was to happen, and it felt that way.
"It's a great story for not only Latrelle and Kozzie and their families, but also the Melbourne footy club and the AFL world in general."
Latrelle Pickett | Glenelg | SA
Small forward | Draft range: 20-30
(🎥 @SANFL) #AFLDraft pic.twitter.com/yz1RH5voHV
— JΛDelaide (@JADelaideX) November 14, 2025
Taylor revealed that Melbourne had been tracking the development of Pickett over the years, and despite attempting to keep it under wraps, is excited by what he can produce at AFL level.
"We've had a journey over a two-and-a-half, three-year period with Latrelle," he added.
"We've tracked him back all the days in under-18s. We re-engaged at the start of this year when he came down to Glenelg.
"By his own admission, he really needed to mature as a person and a footballer, and he was able to do that. He's applied himself this year, and he's learned and grown through Glenelg. They've been fantastic with him.
"The talent was always there; it's just about the application and putting that to work. We feel that he's ready."
The Pick 12 has quietly become a famous selection for Indigenous players, with a host of the game's greats finding their way to the AFL with that pick.
Gavin Wanganeen, Shaun Burgoyne, Cyril Rioli and Kysaiah Pickett have carved out outstanding careers after their first-round selection, with Latrelle keen to do the same.
"Yeah, that's pretty crazy," Pickett said.
"I didn't really know that. Sean (Burgoyne) obviously played 400 (games). Cyril has been one of my idols growing up, one of my heroes. So yeah, and Koz as well.
"They're definitely some of the greats in the game. I think I definitely got it in me. It'd be great to have a career like that."
