pˈɪkən wʌz stˈɪl æt skˈuːl wɛn hiː ɚɹˈaɪvd æt kˈɑːlɪŋwˌʊd ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti fˈoːɹ fɹʌm mˈækɑːɹθɚɹ æz ɐ fˈɔːɹwɚd, bˌʌt hiː dɪvˈɛləpt ˌɪntʊ ɐ tˈæləntᵻd sˈɛntɚhˈæf bˈæk.
Picken was still at school when he arrived at Collingwood in 1974 from Macarthur as a forward, but he developed into a talented centre-half back.