Fremantle legend Dale Kickett couldn’t think of a bigger individual honour when he was announced as the 29th person to receive Life Membership at the club during the Doig Medal Presentation Dinner on Thursday night at Crown Ballroom.
On top of his 135 games for Fremantle, Kickett played 15 games for Fitzroy in 1990, two for West Coast in 1991, 21 for St Kilda in 1992 and eight for Essendon in 1994.
It was the 1993 season that proved to be a turning point for Kickett’s career, where he returned to Claremont under future Fremantle coach Gerard Neesham. Kickett switched from the forward line to defence, won the best and fairest and helped guide the team to a flag, his third with the Tigers.
After eight brilliant seasons at Fremantle, Kickett said he felt he had a life-long bond with the club despite playing for four other teams to Freo’s entry into the league in 1995.
“To me, getting Life Membership is something that is just short of an AFL premiership, this is huge,” Kickett said.
“In our own minds, my family and I were already life members at Fremantle. It’s our club of choice, even though I played for five clubs, this is the one we follow through thick and thin.
“To now be offered life membership is fantastic.”
Kickett admitted he regretted not reaching the 150-game milestone at Fremantle in his career, which normally qualifies a player for Life Membership.
An inaugural Freo Docker, Kickett played his first game for Fremantle as a 26-year-old and he felt he could have played more if it weren’t for injury and a hefty suspension handed down in the infamous ‘demolition Derby’.
“You don’t really think about it during your playing days but to fall 15 games short (of 150 games) was a little bit disappointing. Looking back, it meant I wasn’t able to be a part of that club,” Kickett said.
“It’s knowing there were a few incidents that cost me, from where I broke my back and got suspended. I virtually lost a full season for just those two incidents.
“I was disappointed in myself, really. But to be able to get a Life Membership on the back of what I was able to do at Fremantle is fantastic.”
Some of the proudest moments from Kickett’s career came from being a part of Fremantle’s formative years.
He played in Fremantle’s first game against Richmond at the MCG and was the first Freo player to register a kick in the game.
“It was a privilege to be involved in a lot of the initial stuff Fremantle did in the early days,” Kickett said.
“It was bloody hard, because we were not given a lot of what other AFL clubs who came into the competition were given.
“To play in those first games is something that I cherish now. You don’t really think about it when you’re playing the game. There were lots of little things along the way that were firsts that nobody else can do, that can’t be done again.
“Obviously I missed out on a premiership but that’s only as a player. I’m still a supporter and I’ll be a part of it when we win a flag.”
Kickett played a crucial role in building a proud Indigenous history at Fremantle, with the club holding the record for the most AFL/VFL games played by Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander footballers.
He and his Indigenous teammates at the club in its inaugural season, including Scott Chisholm, Winston Abraham and the late Gary Dhurrkay, have long been credited for inspiring the generations of Indigenous footballers that followed at Freo.
“I always say that I learnt some valuable lessons from my Dad. I watched my Uncle Larry play at East Perth and blokes like Stephen Michael at South Fremantle and the Krakouers (Jim and Phil) at Claremont. So I can understand where the other blokes are coming from in them saying that they learnt a lot from previous Indigenous boys coming through. It’s a natural progression,” Kickett said.
“For most of the boys who played with us, they were Noongar blokes. A lot of us Noongar blokes, we’ve known each other forever and quite a few of us are related, too.”
Reflecting on his career, Kickett paid special tribute to his wife Kathy for her love, support and the sacrifices made during his football career.
“The biggest thanks I would have to give would be to my wife, and this will mean the world to her as she’s probably the biggest Fremantle supporter I know,” Kickett said.
“When I was playing, we had three young boys growing up. She virtually had to take care of the family by herself while supporting me as well. That’s probably the biggest one.”
