[1] Kickett played in the junior ranks at Central District in the South Australian National Football League, including their U-19s Premiership in 1981.
[2] After falling out with the Falcons early in the 1986 season, Kickett, along with veteran Peter Spencer, applied for a clearance to Claremont, which at first was denied[3] but accepted a week later.
[4] Whilst Spencer played only two senior games for Claremont and returned for his last season to his original home at East Perth, Derek Kickett fitted in perfectly and was a key member of the Tigers’ record-breaking 1987 team that finished with twenty-one consecutive unbeaten matches and their sixth senior flag.
Kickett polled 46 votes in the Sandover Medal in 1987, which was the most of any player that season, but was ineligible to win due to a suspension for slapping East Fremantle's Tim Gepp.
The omission continues to be one of the most controversial decisions of Sheedy's coaching career, but Sheedy still defends the decision, stating that Kickett's form was poor (as he had a total of 15 disposals in the three finals) and that his lack of endurance would have been a specific weakness for the team against Carlton, Essendon's opponent on the day.