West Coast’s Ryan Maric embracing switch from forward to defender under tutelage of Eagles great Shannon Hurn

West Coast premiership captain Shannon Hurn is in charge of turning 196cm forward Ryan Maric into a lethal rebounding defender. In a major positional switch, the Eagles are trialling Maric down back this season, 18 months after drafting him as a mobile forward. And Hurn, one of the modern day great backmen, is overseeing the transformation. Maric has spent the majority of his 29-game career as a forward, while he also had stints on the wing last season after being selected with the No.1 pick in the 2023 mid-season rookie draft. The 20-year-old has made the positional switch to the backline this off-season, with the Eagles hoping to utilise the Victorian’s lethal kick and smart decision making out of their defence in 2025. It continues a remarkable rise of Maric from the Victorian country town of Drouin — which has produced AFL talent in Gary Ablett Snr and Dale Thomas — to the AFL. Maric debuted only 10 days after being drafted by the Eagles from Gippsland Power, kicking a goal with his first touch against Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval and in only half a season he managed 10 games. The Victorian played 19 last season, but was either subbed in or out on six occasions as he struggled to cement himself in the side. Maric said he wanted to be weapon out of defence for the Eagles this season as they look to reshape their defensive end after the departure of former vice-captain Tom Barrass to Hawthorn in last year’s trade period. “In my exit meeting we had an open conversation about my position, where we see the best fit for myself moving forward and coming to the club it was always a position the coaches knew I could play but we never really trialled it,” Maric told The West Australian. “We thought we’d give it a trial in the pre-season and see how it goes from there. It’s going pretty well at the moment I feel, so I’m enjoying it. “I can be really damaging with my footskills and offensive side of the game, that’s probably my main strength. I can help the boys down there break open the game and break some lines from the back half and not be afraid to pull off the nice big kicks through the corridor that can open the game up a bit.” Maric is in uncharted territory, having never played down back in the AFL. But he could not ask for a better mentor than Eagles’ game records holder and premiership skipper Hurn who returned to the club late last year as a development coach. “I’ve done most of my work closely with Shannon Hurn so it’s a nice guy to do your work with, a 333-game player for the club,” Maric said. “He’s an AFL legend and I’ve been working closely with him. He has a lot of knowledge of the game which has really helped me. “I haven’t done a whole heap of defending in my junior career so I’ve been focusing hard on that first, making sure I’m a good defender and good at my craft. And then my strengths will come into play after we win the ball back. “He (Hurn) has been helping me heaps with my defensive craft, body positioning, when to read the ball and how to read the play.” Maric is no newcomer to hard work, having gone from a 107kg forward at Drouin in his late teens to an athlete that is capable of competing at the AFL level. In his second full pre-season, Maric has focused on improving his running capacity further to adjust to give him the best chance of success in his new role. “Having another year in the system and having another pre-season, I feel like my base knowledge of the game and my tank, I feel like I’m a bit fitter,” Maric said. “I’m getting a bit stronger and being able to stand up and be a bit of a leader. “I’m not the youngest anymore so I am able to bring my leadership skills and just have a bit more knowledge of the game from the older boys around me.” Maric’s positional switch is one of several changes at the Eagles who are entering a new era under first-year coach Andrew McQualter. The Eagles have embraced a Richmond-like frenetic gameplan which McQualter was instrumental in implementing at the Tigers during their three-premiership period under Damien Hardwick. “Our focus is to be a quick and fast team. And move the ball quickly from that back half,” he said. “Mini (McQualter) has come in and created a great energy with the boys and everyone’s really getting behind him and his new gameplan that he’s putting in place. “We want to be really fast and create turnovers as quickly as possible on the defensive end. Everyone’s really enjoyed the fresh change of Mini.”