AFL round 7 Melbourne v Richmond: Live scores, updates, SuperCoach scores
Pickett kicked five goals and collected 24 disposals to steer the Demons away from a disastrous 0-6 start to the season.
The four-goal first half already prompted four-time premiership star Isaac Smith to declare the 23-year-old the closest player he had seen to champion Cyril Rioli on matchday radio.
But Melbourne coaches and McDonald went further, linking Pickett's virtuoso performance to the little master from Geelong.
'We get our games rated out of seven and I think the coaches then do the same, (Pickett) was the first in a long time to get a seven out of seven,' McDonald said.
'Normally that's Gary Ablett (Jnr) territory where you have 40 (disposals) and kick four (goals).
'He was spectacular, (it was) awesome to see him do it and see him have fun out there too.'
Pickett sparkling afternoon ultimately downed the side reportedly trying to lure him via trade at season's end.
McDonald fended off questions about Pickett's future, insisting contract talk was always off the table among players.
'Never spoken about by the players, in any of those situations where the players are uncontracted, guys aren't going around talking about 'is he going to leave?'' he said.
'He's a quiet guy, he keeps to himself a lot, the way he stands out is his fashion, he comes in every day looking good, I come in in my baggy trackies and oversized T-shirt.'
The pressure on the Demons eased for at least one week after they claimed their first win, and they have a chance to improve to two wins with Richmond in the annual Anzac Eve blockbuster on Thursday.
McDonald said he had faith things would turn for the Demons after showing strong improvement on the track in recent weeks.
'I guess because we haven't been scoring and we scored early, a little bit of confidence gets going,' he said.
'Our training weeks had been really solid but it hadn't transferred into the weekend and last week was probably our best week of training and preparing and that transferred into the game.
'We had a short and sharp session yesterday, it's a tough week this week to do much training, hopefully we can translate that form into tomorrow night.'
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The Advertiser
5 hours ago
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"Sometimes personal circumstances override team preference. We'll work our way through that. "Come Sunday, it won't be an issue at all." Fremantle's finals fate hangs in the balance following last Friday's 57-point loss the Brisbane Lions in Perth. If the seventh-placed Dockers (15-7) lose to the eighth-placed Bulldogs (14-8), they will miss the finals unless Gold Coast lose to both Port Adelaide (away) and Essendon (home). Two-time Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe has already announced he will retire at the end of the season, and Fremantle are desperate to send him off with a flag. Fremantle had won 11 of their past 12 games before their big flop against Brisbane, and Longmuir has been baffled by the doomsday talk. "Everyone wants to catastrophise after one performance," Longmuir said. "As a club, we lean into our last 12, 13 weeks, which have been strong. "There's a good blue print there for us to succeed this weekend." The Bulldogs have won their past four games and are the highest scoring team in the competition, but Longmuir was quick to put the heat on them. "The pressure's on them as well, isn't it? The last time I checked, they've won one less game than us," Longmuir said. "The narrative around some of this stuff gets me a little bit, because last time I checked, we're on the same amount of wins as Collingwood, who are sitting fourth. "Everyone is talking like we're going to miss the finals. We've got full faith in this group to be able to go there and get it done, and play our way, and I'm confident our way is good enough." Dockers forward Josh Treacy said some of his team's poor decision making against the Lions had been so bad that it was laughable. "If you don't laugh you cry sometimes," Longmuir agreed. "It's almost like, 'Oh, how do you not kick a goal there', or 'How did you stuff that up?' "It just hasn't been us. 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"I'm confident we'll be able to work our way around it and confident he can still prepare really well," Longmuir said on Wednesday. "He's been in contact with the coaches, he's watched our reviews. "Sometimes personal circumstances override team preference. We'll work our way through that. "Come Sunday, it won't be an issue at all." Fremantle's finals fate hangs in the balance following last Friday's 57-point loss the Brisbane Lions in Perth. If the seventh-placed Dockers (15-7) lose to the eighth-placed Bulldogs (14-8), they will miss the finals unless Gold Coast lose to both Port Adelaide (away) and Essendon (home). Two-time Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe has already announced he will retire at the end of the season, and Fremantle are desperate to send him off with a flag. Fremantle had won 11 of their past 12 games before their big flop against Brisbane, and Longmuir has been baffled by the doomsday talk. "Everyone wants to catastrophise after one performance," Longmuir said. 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Perth Now
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Not an issue: Dockers give blessing to Jackson's leave
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir is adamant Luke Jackson's unexpected dash to Melbourne won't harm the team's chances in Sunday's must-win clash with the Western Bulldogs. Jackson flew to Melbourne after his partner's mum passed away on Saturday night, and he will remain there until Sunday's game at Marvel Stadium. The 23-year-old has been training by himself while away from Perth, and will link up with the Dockers when the team flies east on Friday. Although Longmuir said Jackson's absence would affect preparation "a little bit", he said it would have no affect come game time. "I'm confident we'll be able to work our way around it and confident he can still prepare really well," Longmuir said on Wednesday. "He's been in contact with the coaches, he's watched our reviews. "Sometimes personal circumstances override team preference. We'll work our way through that. "Come Sunday, it won't be an issue at all." Fremantle's finals fate hangs in the balance following last Friday's 57-point loss the Brisbane Lions in Perth. If the seventh-placed Dockers (15-7) lose to the eighth-placed Bulldogs (14-8), they will miss the finals unless Gold Coast lose to both Port Adelaide (away) and Essendon (home). Two-time Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe has already announced he will retire at the end of the season, and Fremantle are desperate to send him off with a flag. Fremantle had won 11 of their past 12 games before their big flop against Brisbane, and Longmuir has been baffled by the doomsday talk. "Everyone wants to catastrophise after one performance," Longmuir said. "As a club, we lean into our last 12, 13 weeks, which have been strong. "There's a good blue print there for us to succeed this weekend." The Bulldogs have won their past four games and are the highest scoring team in the competition, but Longmuir was quick to put the heat on them. "The pressure's on them as well, isn't it? The last time I checked, they've won one less game than us," Longmuir said. "The narrative around some of this stuff gets me a little bit, because last time I checked, we're on the same amount of wins as Collingwood, who are sitting fourth. "Everyone is talking like we're going to miss the finals. We've got full faith in this group to be able to go there and get it done, and play our way, and I'm confident our way is good enough." Dockers forward Josh Treacy said some of his team's poor decision making against the Lions had been so bad that it was laughable. "If you don't laugh you cry sometimes," Longmuir agreed. "It's almost like, 'Oh, how do you not kick a goal there', or 'How did you stuff that up?' "It just hasn't been us. I'm guessing that's what he (Treacy) is talking about, and that stuff is an easy fix." Longmuir was tight lipped when asked whether he would recall star midfielder Hayden Young, who has missed the past two weeks with an adductor strain but is expected to be unleashed against the Dogs.
