You can’t keep a good big man down . . .

Just a week after undergoing surgery on a troublesome ankle, key Richmond ruckman Ivan Maric was back out on the training track on Punt Road Oval, at the ME Bank Centre.

Maric is making steady progress after having bone spurs removed from the ankle.

“It’s pretty good.  I haven’t done much for the last week . . . just been sitting on the couch, so it’s feeling not too bad,” Maric told ‘Roar Vision’.

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“I was off crutches after about two days and was out there today doing some hand skills.  It was good to get out of the house.”

Surgery was the last option for Maric, who had been battling ankle soreness throughout the pre-season.

“It’s something that started bothering me just before Christmas.  We tried everything, but it didn’t work and the surgery had to be done,” Maric said.

The timing of Maric’s return to the playing field will be determined by how he feels once he starts running again.

“I can’t really put a (definite) date on it, but they said about six to eight weeks,” he said.

“The first four weeks I’ll be swimming, on the bike and boxing.  Then, after that, I’ll be running outside, and build it up from there.”

Maric fully expects the likes of Shaun Hampson, Orren Stephenson, Ty Vickery and Ben Griffiths to provide strong ruck back-up in his absence.

“It’s their responsibility to perform, just like if it was me out there . . . I’d have to perform.

“Now, it’s my responsibility to get my body right and have some good training form, so I can get picked back in the team, and play some good footy.”

While being on the sidelines, Maric intends to do what he can to assist his rucking Tiger teammates.

“I don’t want to step on anyone toes or anything.  We’ve got enough ruck coaches here, but, look, I’m going to take a bit of control of stoppages, and see how we go and if we can really improve that part of our game,” Maric said.