Hard work takes big Tiger Maric to 100 gamesBy Jennifer Phelan
10:30am AEDT
Thursday, April 4, 2013IVAN Maric will reach 100 games this Friday night against St Kilda, just over a season after he left Adelaide to become what many have described as Richmond's missing link.
The big man with the big mullet will reach his first big milestone at the MCG in front of the supporters who have so heartily embraced him since he became a Tiger in the 2011 trade period.
It's something the quietly spoken 27-year-old said was an achievement made all the more significant by how hard the game was to play consistently.
"I knew it was going to be hard work to get to 100 games; especially after playing your first one you realise that 99 more is actually really hard work," Maric told AFL.com.au.
"It's a good personal achievement. It's something that I'll look back and be proud of at the end of my career.
"At the moment, I just want to be part of a winning team, which is what I enjoy the most."
Maric appeared on the Tigers' radar when he was struggling to get a game at Adelaide under Neil Craig in 2011.
He fit the club's requirements for a physical and experienced ruckman, and was open to a move back to his hometown of Melbourne.
"We saw a spot that needed filling and we thought he could fill it, and I suppose the rest is history at the moment," Richmond assistant coach Brendon Lade said.
"[Our opposition analyst] Blair Hartley watched a lot of him over at the Port Magpies.
"He was doing a lot of things right over there but was not getting a game at Adelaide because of Sam Jacobs.
"As a club, we were probably struggling for [players] that age he came in at, that 25 to 26, 27-year-old.
"We targeted some players in that area and he was one of them and he's definitely shown some good leadership in his first year."
Maric was traded to Richmond at the end of that season after six years at Adelaide, where he played 77 games.
In a remarkable result, he finished third in the best and fairest in his first season as a Tiger, after playing 21 games in 2012.
He was promoted to the new-look leadership group in November last year, led by Trent Cotchin and consisting of vice-captain Brett Deledio, Jack Riewoldt, Daniel Jackson and Dylan Grimes.
His impact among the group has been profound; not just as a player and what he's done, but in that key leadership area.
Maric says leadership is "just in me, I suppose", but acknowledges his promotion to the group has been a highlight of his time at the club so far.
"It is good, I suppose … that they appreciate what I have to say and that sort of stuff," he said.
Lade said Maric had improved his around the ground ability since coming to Punt Road but believed they had only "begun to scratch the surface" of what he was capable of.
"When he came here, we just wanted to tidy up a few areas we thought we could help him with," Lade said.
"He's not one of the tallest ruckmen going around so he needs to be able to have an impact around the ground and we think he's improved in that area and helps the defence out when he can.
"His competitiveness around the ground has been outstanding.
"He's had a big impact. We've been pretty impressed with what he's done so far and we think he can still get better still and improve himself and the team even further."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-04-04/big-milestone-for-big-mullet
