At 34 years old, Nick Pickering’s sole focus in the latter years of his football career is to bring another premiership flag back to North Park.
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“I played in the 2003 and 2014 premierships and that feeling afterwards was just amazing,” he said.
“I keep going around to try and get one last one. I want one more premiership before I finish, whenever that may be.”
Pickering is your good old-fashioned country footballer; hard at the contest with a never-say-die attitude for more than 250 games.
He has become a mainstay in the the Baggies’ defensive unit, playing a crucial role in their ascendancy back to finals last year and again this season.
A self-admitted battler, Pickering said he has tried to be an example for the club’s younger players, in particular the defenders, of what it takes to play senior football.
“I have played a fair bit of footy and by no means am I the most skilled or talented,” he said. “But I work hard, put my body on the line every week and always, always put the team first.
“The team is the most important thing and I always try and do what is best for it.”
Pickering’s career has gone full circle. He started as a back pocket player before moving further up the field onto a half-back flank then into the midfield.
As he has gotten older he has moved back into the defensive half, finding himself among a strong back six the Baggies have settled on.
He said he enjoys the bond he and the defensive unit have developed in recent seasons. “It is like a team amongst the team,” he said.
“We all have each others backs which is what it is all about.”
Despite his physical style of game beginning to take its toll on his body, Pickering said that is one of the parts of football and playing for Swifts he finds most enjoyable.
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“I love the physical contest and running around with your mates, all trying to achieve the same one goal,” he said.
“My body is slowly starting to pack it in but I will try and old out for that last flag.”
With a young, up-and-coming group down at North Park, Pickering said he might even be in with a chance of winning that flag this season.
“I think if we keep improving we definitely have a chance,” he said.
“We have the talent to do it, we just need to keep playing team football and to stay focused.
“We have a big few games coming up which will tell us where we are at.”
Pickering has been at the Baggies for nearly 20 years now, something he takes great pride in.
“Swifts are like a family to me I suppose, it is a great club full of great people.”
