The champion centre-half back played 207 games with the Magpies between 1974 and 1983 before spending two seasons with Sydney in 1984 and 1985. He then returned to his rightful home at Victoria Park to play five games with the Magpies in 1986.
A brilliant performer in finals,Picken played in five grand finals including the 1977 draw and replay but did not play in a flag being part of losing grand final teams in 1977,1979,1980 and 1981.
The high-flyer was a character famous for commentating “here comes Billy” while on the field as he prepared to launch for a mark and despite an ungainly kicking style was good enough to win two Copeland Trophies and be named in Collingwood’s Team of the Century.
His aerial ability put him alongside St Kilda’s Trevor Barker,Hawthorn’s Peter Knights and Essendon’s Paul Vander Haar as players who regularly took spectacular marks in the ’70s with Picken winning mark of the year in 1974 and 1976.
Picken’s son Liam had an outstanding career with the Western Bulldogs,playing a key role in their drought-breaking 2016 premiership having starred in the finals series.
Another of his three sons Marcus played 25 games with the Brisbane Lions and was on the Bulldogs list for two years without playing a game.
He was also the uncle of Lions’ champion Jonathon Brown,with Picken’s wife Brown’s mum’s sister.
Picken grew up in Macarthur,a small country town near Hamilton,before joining the Magpies as a forward in 1974.