Tiger tall can still shine Matthew James, Footy Prophet
The Age
August 2, 2013 Ivan Maric was the breakout sweetheart of 2012, mesmerising footy supporters with his flowing mullet and on-field presence. He left Adelaide after being starved of opportunities and walked into the top job at Richmond. His maiden season was dominant, playing all but one game and ranking as the second best fantasy ruckman behind all-star Dean Cox.
Maric's instant success came from his rapport with on-ballers Trent Cotchin, Shane Tuck and Brett Deledio, and the quartet each produced career-best seasons. The Tigers as a group have improved significantly this season, and look set to play finals. Despite the progress, that midfield quartet has surprisingly gone backwards significantly in fantasy terms. All four were effectively 100-point fantasy players or better - in 2013 none are at that level.
Maric, in particular, has had his struggles, despite retaining the No. 1 ruck mantle at the club. He has missed three games through injury and his around-the-ground impact has declined. Ty Vickery has come on a little, although he is hardly taking significant time away from Maric. Vickery's hitouts have jumped to eight per game, but that's still reflective of a relief option rather than a time-share ruck arrangement employed by Sydney or West Coast.
Maric's fantasy scoring has settled into a middle-of-the-road pattern. He has only scored 90 points once , after achieving it 14 times in 2012. His fantasy average has dropped almost 30 points per game, yet the Tigers are winning more matches. Maric has struggled in particular against the one-two ruck combos clubs are increasingly deploying this year.
Despite this, Maric's fantasy prospects are looking up in the lead-up to Ultimate Footy finals. Over the next four weeks he will face Max Bailey, Matthew Leuenberger, Matthew Kreuzer and Jon Giles. Maric won't have to contend with two legitimate ruck opponents and, on this basis, his numbers should improve. The next month for his fantasy owners is the most important of all.
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