JACK Pickett hasn't missed a game or training session since he did his knee. Not one. While the first-round draft prospect hasn't played since the start of April, he has been a constant presence at Geelong Grammar, Geelong Falcons and Vic Country. And people have noticed.

The 18-year-old entered his top-age year as one of the best key forwards in the pool after kicking 31 goals from eight Talent League games last year, around two appearances as a bottom-ager in the Marsh AFL National Championships U18 Boys, culminating in selection in the AFL National Academy.

But his 2026 campaign ended abruptly at Falcons training in the days after round one when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and strained his medical collateral ligament. Season over, just like that.

Pickett is now four months on from the reconstruction and been running for five weeks. He is still at least a couple of months away from non-contact training and it is still too far out to pencil in a return date yet. 

But with the AFL Draft Combine less than a month away, Pickett is about to be asked a lot of questions about his knee and how he has handled this year from inquisitive recruiters and list managers, who haven't forgotten about him, but want to know more. 

Those at Geelong Grammar School, where Pickett is a day student, which means he is on campus between 8.30am to 8.30pm, in the talent pathways and around him have marvelled at his mental resilience. Not only did he move on quickly from the injury, he showed up for his teammates and has kept showing up.

"That was definitely something that me and my dad established pretty early, not just to show my face, but for the enjoyment of the year, just to show up and still get something out of it," Pickett, no relation to footy's famous Pickett family, told AFL.com.au at Geelong Grammar. 

"I feel like I've got enough out of this year where it will hold me in good stead for the future. But it makes it fun when you're watching all your mates as well.

"I think at the start I was very frustrated, obviously, because you put in five months of pre-season just to play one game and go down three days after it, so that was the frustrating part. 

"But I think it was the support that I got that allowed me to have that mindset. My parents were big for me, my support network of mates, people at school, my manager Dylan Hodge and also all the people reaching out like [regional talent manager] Lee Fraser and [national academy manager] Tarkyn Lockyer. I've got a pretty good group behind me that allowed me to sort of keep a good mindset."

Pickett has grown up in Torquay and lives essentially on a golf course at The Sands. The Surf Coast is Cats country. Geelong legend Joel Selwood went through a similar pathway, just further north in Bendigo and dealt with a similar knee injury in his draft year. 

One morning before school last month, Pickett and Geelong Falcons teammate Noah Williams met Selwood in an office out the back of fruit and vegetable store Harvey's of Highton. They both came armed with 15 questions each and peppered the four-time premiership icon for almost an hour.

"I know he was injured in his 18th year with a knee, so I asked him plenty of questions about that and got some good insight. He's so professional and he's got his mind set on one thing. He was very, very specific, like all the little things that need to be done to succeed," Pickett said.

"I think his confidence in himself stood out quite a bit. While we were chatting, I just kept thinking like, jeez, he's got that confidence that you need. Obviously see he was an amazing player, but just being able to just back himself. That's one thing me and Noah definitely took from our chat."

Pickett's connection to Selwood runs deeper than their shared management group TGI Sport, where the six-time All-Australian's long-time manager, Tom Petroro, runs the AFL division. Joel's late brother Troy Selwood recruited Pickett to Geelong Grammar when he was head of football and performance at the private school.

"I was lucky enough to get a scholarship here and it's been huge for me, probably the best decision I've ever made. Troy Selwood came and offered me it, which was obviously tough at the start of last year to get through. But he gave me the opportunity," he said. 

"It was a bit of a tough decision because we loved Joey's and everything was going right and we were just a bit timid. But then we sort of thought, well we can't really waste this opportunity, not many people get given the chance to go to Geelong Grammar. So we always knew what we were going to do, but we took probably a year and a half to finally make the call."

Study has been the distraction Pickett didn't realise he needed until he needed it. Missing out on the final year of school footy stung every Saturday in winter. He was still there for the trips up to Xavier College, St Kevin's and Brighton Grammar, but he wasn't out there. 

He did a unit 3/4 VCE subject in Year 10, one last year, and now this year Pickett is studying a university subject – sports management at Deakin – around his Year 12 commitments. 

"Yeah, school has been huge. I was speaking to dad the other day and we thought if I had have been older and still this year be my draft year and I've done my knee, it would be one of the worst years of my life," he said. "I'd be sitting at home having to work and dealing with this knee. But study has definitely taken my mind off it and it's allowed me to get around my mates at school as well and keep that support going. It's definitely filled in my time."

Pickett and Williams, who was co-captain of Vic Country and Geelong Falcons this year, both spent a week of the pre-season inside Kardinia Park. They knew they wanted that life before they peeked behind the curtains, but that only solidified the dream.

"We both walked away like jeez this would just be unreal. If this is what our week looks like, we could do it every week for the rest of our life," he said.

"It was just really eye-opening. Me and Noah both come away thinking it's just a massive step up. Like we're used to the Falcons, even the Academy week in New Zealand, we were used to that, but it's just a whole another jump that we were pretty surprised about it, just their preparation and professionalism off the track was, was really good. We loved it." 

Geelong assistant James Rahilly coached Pickett in the under-16s at Torquay and has assisted his development across the journey, while Shannon Neale took Pickett under his wing that week and taught him some forward craft. 

The key forward has become a star in the past 12 months after moving across the country from Perth when he was drafted at 18. Pickett lives 20km away from the Cats, but knows a move to Melbourne or interstate is more likely than staying home.

"I'm prepared to go anywhere. I think this school's helped me get ready for that," he said. "Being away from home for most of the day and coming home at 9pm, you know they're pretty long days. It allows me to gain a bit of independence and really have to build that side of my life that I might not have built at Joey's."

Pickett started the year as a first-round prospect. That hasn't changed in the eyes of recruiters. He is projected to be picked later on night one of the Telstra AFL Draft than he would have been if he didn't do his knee. But amid the debris of a season-ending injury, the 194cm forward hasn't only found tools to improve as a player, but also as a person, too.

"For sure I think that it's given me a chance to work on my body as well," he said. "I was probably a bit underdeveloped and [the injury] could play a big part in my preparation for the start of next year if I'm lucky enough to get to a club. Also off the field, I think it's prepared me for life better."

This season didn't go to plan, but Pickett has a plan. He will be ready to play again early in the 2027 season. Beyond that, he has proven this year that he can handle the inevitable challenges the AFL will scatter along his path in future.