Season in short:
Perhaps the ultimate beneficiary of Luke Beveridge’s attacking game style, Liam Picken was given a new role in 2015.
The former tagger developed into a more offensive midfielder, winning his own football and finishing the year with 497 disposals – his best output from seven seasons.
Most impressively, Picken didn’t compromise his hard-edged defensive style, averaging four tackles – 10th in the league.
One of the most consistent performers, Picken finished 10th in the Sutton Medal count.
The 29-year-old’s best performance came in the gritty round five win, suited to Picken’s strengths.
He gathered 33 disposals, four marks, 12 tackles and two Brownlow votes, guiding the Dogs to arguably their best win of the year.
Stat that mattered:
Picken notched up a career-high 36 disposals in round 15 against the Suns.
What they said:
“It was really exciting, it was a really good opportunity to do something different from what I’ve been doing, playing as a defender or a run-with player. The new role was great, to be able to fit in and contribute was great. I’m happy to play wherever, it was a great role this year, football’s always changing though so it throws up different things, you’ve got to keep an open mind.” – Liam Picken, September 2015
“He’s probably the older statesman of our mid group and just to see him, and see Bevo set him challenges about the type of player he thought he could be and things that he could do for us offensively. We just love Picko’s competitiveness, his hardness and his athleticism, I think how good he is as an athlete gets understated…
“He’s so strong above his head in the air, you saw him go forward, take grabs and actually be a goal-kicking mid for us as well. He’s been super impressive from a coaching point of view about his improved leadership. You can just tell he really cares about his teammates and his Club.” – Steven King (Western Bulldogs Assistant Coach), September 2015
