In the wake of his decision to retire from AFL football at the end of this season, revered Richmond ruck veteran Ivan Maric caught up with Tiger great Matthew Richardson for an exclusive ‘Roar Vision’ interview. Here’s what big ‘Ivvy’ had to say about hanging up his boots, and a range of other topics related to his time at Tigerland . . .
The retirement decision
“I made the decision internally about a week and a half ago and I just wanted to sit with it. I’ve felt really good the last few games, but I just know it’s the right thing to do.”
Telling teammates
“I really was looking forward to getting up and saying the things that I wrote down, but when it came to saying them, it was quite tough. But I’m glad I’ve done it.”
Over-riding factor behind the decision
“I think now I can’t probably play the game that I’ve played my whole career. I watch Toby Nankervis playing at the moment, and that’s how I played a lot of my footy. I just can’t do that consistently. I’ve just got to be honest to myself and the team . . . It’s the best thing for the team.”
The move to Tigerland from the Crows
“I spent seven years in Adelaide . . . fantastic club, and they looked after me . . . I probably just fell out of favour. So the right thing for me was to go back to Melbourne, and Richmond was keen. It worked out really, really well for everyone.”
Team-first ethos
“I love to win, and I really enjoy those moments where the team walks off together victorious . . . I’ll do anything, whatever it takes, to help the team win.”
Driving the standards
“I think those values were instilled in me at a young age from my parents and family. And then I came across the ‘Legacy’ book on the All Blacks. It brought it back to life again. There were a few of us driving it around the Club . . . we’re all about those little things. It’s become a strong part of our culture.”
The Tiger family
“In Adelaide that’s all I had – I only had the footy club, so they were my family. I came back to Melbourne, where I’ve got a very family big family off the field . . . I really enjoy building strong connections with my teammates. As the strength of that connection grows, it feels like family to me. And, when we’re on the field, I’ll protect my family to the death. So that’s how I want to play. Hopefully I can be remembered for that. That’d be pretty cool.”
Close mates at the Club
“Chris Knights is probably the most obvious one because we were at Adelaide together and then he came to Richmond for a few years and it was pretty special. Then there’s guys like Bachar Houli, Trent Cotchin, Alex Rance, Dave Astbury, Reece Conca, that I’ve really, really got strong connections with. The list probably goes pretty deep to guys like even Callum Moore, who I’ve built really strong connections with. That was the positive of playing VFL. I got to build them with all the young guys.”
Changing Richmond role
“It was hard going from playing every week to being a back-up. That’s the way the game is . . . I understand that. But I thought, I want to enjoy my time here, so I’m going to invest and mentor and coach as much as I can. And then seeing those guys – the young kids – play better, it makes me feel good.”
Mentoring cousin Ivan Soldo
“It is great because it’s family, but he’s so driven and disciplined, and wants to work hard and get better. When you’ve got young players with that sort of attitude, no matter if it’s family or not, it’s really good to work with them.”
Best Yellow and Black memory
When we were sitting, I think, equal last with GWS and we ended up winning nine in-a-row to make finals. And that last win against Sydney was pretty amazing . . . It was something I’ll never forget.”
Today’s Tigers
“I think we’re in a really good place. There’s a lot of focus on the close losses, but what about the close wins? There’ve been more of them. We’re always in with a chance. There’s been one game where we were outplayed, against Adelaide, and that was early days. We’ve come a long way since then. The guys are putting in, and we’re valuing all the team stuff. And we have a bunch of really good kids. You see guys like Jason Castagna, Dan Butler, what they’re doing on the field. It’s fantastic . . . So the Club’s in a good place, I reckon. We’ve got to keep it up.”
The mullet and cult status
“It (the mullet) definitely created a bit of attention in the media. I like being remembered for it, but I also want to be remembered for how I played the game. And I hope it’s for being honest and pretty tough and aggressive. That’s what I’m focusing on for the rest of the season, too. I want to finish off playing that way.”
The Tiger Army
“They’re an amazing supporter base. I’ll never forget the (2014) final against Port Adelaide. We were down by a fair bit in the last quarter. Ben Griffiths kicked a goal towards the end of the game and you could still see them celebrating and cheering. That sums them up . . . they’re always there, through thick and thin. They’re really good people. So thanks all the Tiger supporters. I look forward to joining you next year, being a Tiger supporter.”
What he’ll miss most
“Competing against the best, and doing all the preparation during the week to put me in a good position to compete. And definitely, as I told the boys today, all the jokes in the locker room – hiding people’s bags, hiding their keys, getting your keys hidden . . . I’m going to miss that a lot. But I might start it in my next place of work.”
What’s next?
“Well, I just completed the Next Coach program with Dave Wheadon, which was fantastic. It went for about 14 weeks. I love coaching and I’m keen to get in there. And I like the player welfare as well.”
