Ivan Maric

Ivan Maric is a retired player most recently playing for Richmond.

Ivan Maric ( Croatian: Ivan Mari?, born 4 January 1986) is an Australian rules football player of Croatian descent in the Australian Football League (AFL) and was the number 20 of the Adelaide Crows Football Club. He currently plays for the Richmond Football Club. He is one of the most distinct players in the AFL, thanks to his hard 'old-style' footballing demeanour, and his mullet hairstyle. He is not related to former Richmond teammate, Addam Maric and their surnames are pronounced differently (Ivan "Marrich" and Addam "Marrick" )

A late starter to the game, Maric didn't play competitive football until he was 16 because of a blossoming basketball career. Maric nearly quit in his second season with the Calder Cannons because of his frustration with the technical aspects of the game. However Maric was talked into playing on and was drafted by the Crows with pick 40 in the 2004 AFL Draft only months later. Maric was assigned to the Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL where he quickly became the number one ruckman in 2005.

Maric's impressive form with the Port Adelaide Magpies continued in early 2006 and he was rewarded with his AFL debut in round six of 2006 in the Showdown against Port Adelaide. He had seven disposals and kicked 1 goal on debut. Maric was a last minute inclusion in the side and had the difficult task of playing 2 matches within 24 hours because he had already played for the Port Adelaide Magpies the day before. Maric played a total of eight matches in 2006 and averaged 6 disposals and 9 hit-outs a game.

Maric was expected to become a regular in the Adelaide Crows line up in 2007 because of the departure of Matthew Clarke and the unavailability of Rhett Biglands. However a hip injury meant that he missed the early parts of the season. While he was injured Jonathon Griffin cemented his place in the Adelaide Crows line up meaning Maric had to return to the Port Adelaide Magpies after recovering from his hip injury. Maric played seven consecutive games for the Magpies before getting his chance in the Adelaide line up for the round 14 match against Hawthorn. He had eight disposals and kicked two goals. In the round 19 clash with the Geelong Football Club Maric was promoted to the number 1 ruckman in the absence of Ben Hudson who missed the clash because of a club suspension. He was then dropped for the round 20 clash with the Western Bulldogs as John Meesen was given his AFL debut.

With the departure of number one ruckman Ben Hudson to the Western Bulldogs, John Meesen to Melbourne and the preseason loss of Rhett Biglands to a serious knee injury for the second consecutive, and ultimately his last, season, Maric was expected to be a certain starter. However, similarly to the previous season, a preseason injury of his own left Maric behind fellow inexperienced ruckmen Griffin and Kurt Tippett. With the Crows opting to develop Tippett as a permanent forward and Griffin sustaining a hip injury midway through the season, Maric was finally given another first team opportunity, and seized it with both hands. He played out the rest of the season in ruck tandems with Tippett and Brad Moran, occasionally rotating forward to kick vital goals, cementing his spot as the new number one ruck with a series of good and excellent performances.