West Coast’s best ever goalkicker likes what he has seen from the outstanding rise of mid-season draft choose Ryan Maric.
The Eagles’ high choose in final month’s draft made a debut simply over every week after becoming a member of the membership and kicked a objective together with his very first kick at senior degree within the thumping loss to Adelaide on Saturday.
He completed with two, which may have been three, regardless of the Eagles’ dire show and simply 34 inside-50s.
The 18-year-old was their solely a number of goal-kicker of their 122-point defeat, to go along with eight disposals and three marks.
His maiden objective got here within the first quarter when he labored to the entrance of a contest and latched onto a scrambled Luke Shuey kick ahead out of a contest.
Eagles nice Josh Kennedy was filled with reward and stated Maric was getting himself in the correct positions.
“It was great for him, he could have kicked three for the game,” Kennedy advised SEN.
“Just to have a little bit of presence around, obviously he’s a forward, he’s pretty tall, putting himself in those positions, whether it’s a front-and-centre or in the contest.
“Obviously the ball didn’t come down much, but it was great to see him kick his first goal. I was pretty excited sitting on the couch watching.”
“To see Luke Shuey get it to him… he will remember that forever — as much as it’s a game a lot will want to forget.
“For him, coming through the mid-season draft and being there a week in the west and now playing his first AFL game and getting his first kick and his first goal… it’s something that’s pretty cool.”
Kennedy wouldn’t be drawn into whether or not or not West Coast ought to have positioned long-time teammate Nic Naitanui on the long-term damage record to open up one other record spot.
But he did mirror on among the inspirational story the mid-season drafts offers the sport, together with Maric.
“These mid-season draft stories, they’re always quite amazing, even Jai Culley last year with the fish and chip shop and certain jobs that they’re doing and just having fun playing footy,” Kennedy stated.
“Next minute they’re uprooted, move to the west, on an AFL list and then playing AFL.
“You talk about a month in your life, it would be quite hard to sit there and you would be pinching yourself, and especially Ryan and the way he was able to come in and kick his first goal with his first kick. Not many get that chance.”
The Eagles now have the bye, however Maric is prone to maintain his spot in a forward-line alongside Oscar Allen and Jack Darling for the spherical 15 conflict with Sydney.
Allen was thrown into defence, regardless of being in Coleman Medal rivalry, to assist in the Eagles’ bid to cease Taylor Walker, who booted 10 objectives.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
