Ivan's press conference today ...
VIDEO:
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2015-05-05/maric-press-conference-may-5---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brett Deledio could return, Ivan Maric says Richmond must play without fear AAP
May 05, 2015 10:48AMBRETT Deledio could be a surprise inclusion for Richmond this week as the star midfielder recovers from a calf/Achilles injury.
Tigers ruckman Ivan Maric said Deledio was improving every day after missing four weeks.
Deledio’s return would be a massive boost to Damien Hardwick as the Tigers take on North Melbourne on Saturday.
Maric said Deledio was doing everything in his power to convince the coaches he was ready.
“He’ll ... try to convince the coaches that he can play,” he said.
“It’s really early in the week, but we definitely need him.
“He’s improving every day.”
The Tigers face a tough month of football with games against the Kangaroos, Collingwood, Port Adelaide (away), Essendon and Fremantle (away).
Regardless of how scary their next five-week block looks, Richmond are emphasising the need to play with less fear.
Maric said one of their big problems so far this season has been playing without daring enough.
“You can’t let the fear infect your mind and the way you play,” he said.
“As soon as you second-guess yourself, the game is too quick.
“We need to just take it on, not think about the consequences.
“It’s something we’ve spoken about - playing a bit safe, maybe, instead of just taking them on and not worrying about mistakes.”
He said they need to work on their team defence, but generally Richmond must become more consistent.
Maric said expectations about this season should not affect the players.
As most do in the AFL, Maric pointed to Hawthorn as the benchmarks.
“We want to be able to just rock up every week and play our way,” he said.
“You look at teams like Hawthorn - they go through a bit of adversity against Port Adelaide in the first quarter and they just keep coming back.
“That’s what we want to be like, we don’t want to rely on whether we’re underdogs or favourites.”
And for the Tigers to improve, Maric said they must be honest with each other.
“We can look at the ladder and be frightened of it, but we need to focus on what we can control and that’s training, improving.
“(We need to) speak to each other like men and tell each other what was good and what wasn’t up to standard.”
Far from being worried about their early-season form, Maric said he was excited by the challenge and said their uncertain start had shown where they need to improve.
http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/afl/brett-deledio-could-return-ivan-maric-says-richmond-must-play-without-fear/story-fniv6drm-1227336995900
