Instead of becoming disheartened, Maric adopted an attitude to enjoy his footy and the result was a string of standout games that compelled the 22-year-old’s senior recall.
The former junior basketballer returned to the side in round eight and, over the past couple of weeks, has displayed the form that saw him rated so highly when he was drafted back in 2004.
On Friday night, Essendon ruckman David Hille threatened to bury the Crows with 11 touches, 17 hit-outs and six marks to half time.
Hille was dominating Griffin and, at the start of the third quarter, coach Neil Craig made one of the most significant changes in the game – starting Maric in the centre square.
Maric’s stats (seven touches and 15 hit-outs) did not reflect his impact on the game, but his ability to limit Hille to just three touches and five knocks in the second half was instrumental in Adelaide’s win.
"Ivan was very, very good tonight," coach Neil Craig said after the game.
"Ivan’s second half against Hille, who I thought was pretty good tonight particularly in the first half, was a really good sign for us.
"Ivan’s strength and his strong competitive attitude was a big factor in us getting over the line. We know that about Ivan. He’s very important to our club and he’s a great competitor."
The Crows started Friday night’s game in a similar fashion to how they finished in Subiaco last week and soon found themselves 21 points behind.
But Adelaide, through Maric, Scott Thompson, Simon Goodwin, Nathan Bock and Brett Burton, defied the difficult scoring conditions to clinch the lead and a much needed five-point win.
"It was a very tough game and the conditions made it tougher. It was a tight game all night and it was just good to get over the line," utility Scott Stevens said after the game.
"Early on we were a bit down, but probably about halfway through the first quarter, we really started to get back into the game."
From his eight shots on goal, high-flyer Brett Burton had a mixed bag of two goals, three behinds, one out on the full, one into the man on the mark and one failing to make the distance.
Burton kicked the goal of the game with mid-air soccer in the goal square, but his unpredictable nature came to the fore when he collected Essendon defender Henry Slattery high on the boundary line.
Slattery kept his feet and Burton was not reported or penalised, but given the standard set by the AFL tribunal on head-high contact this season, the Birdman, who was not been cited since 2006, could have a case to answer.
