No frills Maric has Tigers in the hunt Greg Denham
From: The Australian March 13, 2012 12:00AM
HE won't win a best-and-fairest award and would be at long odds to make All Australian, but new Richmond ruckman Ivan Maric is set to make his mark at Punt Road.
And while Maric will probably never be mentioned in the same breath as teammates Dustin Martin, Brett Deledio, Trent Cotchin or Jack Riewoldt, he might just become one of the Tigers' most valuable players.
It is early days -- Richmond's season starts against Carlton at the MCG on Thursday fortnight -- but Maric's pre-season form is an indication that the club's long-time Achilles heel has been addressed and fixed.
The Tigers have been weak in the ruck division for some time and the unheralded Maric was viewed as a future option mid-way through last year by list manager Blair Hartley.
The 26-year-old was not going anywhere at Adelaide because of a lack of opportunities and was keen on the idea of returning to Victoria from the first day he was sounded out. Before his change of environment, he played 77 games in six seasons with the Crows, including just six last season.
Richmond general manager of football operations Craig Cameron said his club had no hesitation in trading its national draft selection No 37 to Adelaide in return, and signing up the ruckman for three years.
"Blair picked him out as someone who could benefit us," Cameron said yesterday. "We wanted a mature, aggressive ruckman, and we've been more than happy with him since he's been here. We've been pleased with the leadership he's brought to the club and encouraged by his competitiveness."
Maric plays a bit like his mullet hairstyle -- old fashioned with no frills. In his first full hit-out for the Tigers he was rock solid in their 59-point third-round NAB Cup win against Geelong at Simonds Stadium on Saturday.
The combination of Maric and Ty Vickery clearly outpointed the Cats' big men -- premiership ruckman Trent West and mature-age recruit Orren Stephenson -- in what was a preview of Richmond's set-up to start the 2012 season proper.
Maric will do the bulk of the ruck work, with Vickery as his back-up, alternating as a tall forward, where he booted 36 goals last year in just his third senior season.
As many as three new Richmond faces could play in the opening round against the Blues, as teenager Brandon Ellis and former Melbourne midfielder Addam Maric (no relation) have done enough in the pre-season to warrant consideration.
The Tigers will wind up their NAB Cup campaign against Greater Western Sydney in Canberra on Saturday when they plan to field a near full-strength line-up, which will include Deledio for the first time during the series. The only certain exclusion is suspended half-back Reece Conca, who is eligible to start the premiership season.
Dual best-and-fairest winner Deledio has been sidelined since damaging his hamstring last month.
Richmond, which has beaten Hawthorn and the Cats in its four NAB Cup matches, appears certain to earn prizemoney by finishing inside the top-eight of the pre-season competition.
On Sunday, coach Damien Hardwick said the Tigers were better placed than at any other time during his first three years at Punt Road to defeat Carlton, which has won its past seven games against Richmond stretching back to round 14, 2008.
He said the win last weekend over Geelong was a step in the right direction. "You only have to look at the depth of our players, the quality of our players, I think they've improved enormously from a development point of view and from a size and a physicality point of view," Hardwick said.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/no-frills-maric-has-tigers-in-the-hunt/story-fnca0u4y-1226297553939
