Ivan Maric

[Crow]

Birdman's on top perch
By DAVID VALENTE
21dec05

BRETT Burton may no longer be part of the Crows' leadership group but when the talking stops and the running starts have no doubt, the Birdman leads.

Burton yesterday maintained his perch atop Adelaide's fitness tree with a familiar victory in the triathlon at the team's training camp at Strathalbyn.

Confirming his ever-improving fitness and his commanding form coming into 2006 Ian Perrie was second, just a few metres behind Burton while Matthew Bode was third, ahead of young key defender Nathan Bock.

Second-year players Ivan Maric and Nathan van Berlo also impressed by finishing in the top 10 of the 400m swim, 16km cycle, 3km run event.

The players beat yesterday's stifling heat with a 7am start but turned up the thermostat themselves with an all-out approach to the test.

"They were definitely fatigued at the end of it," Crows football manager Graeme Dunstan said.

The punishment out the way, the Crows' afternoon comprised a continued introduction to the team's defensive, midfield and forward zone gameplans for the new recruits.

The three-day camp concludes today with some final fitness and skills sessions before a debrief and return to Adelaide.

From the Advertiser.

From memory, John Meesen was the really fit one, and Maric was the athletic one with not as much aerobic capacity. I'm loving this kids attitude towards his football. To see his name up there in the top 10 is terrific! One would assume Meesen can't swim.

 

[Bockchoy67]

From the Advertiser.

From memory, John Meesen was the really fit one, and Maric was the athletic one with not as much aerobic capacity. I'm loving this kids attitude towards his football. To see his name up there in the top 10 is terrific! One would assume Meesen can't swim.

Yeah, I was suprised too but then I remembered it was a Triathlon - swimming is absolute hell is your technique is bad and bad technique results in bad performance.

Not everyone's a good swimmer, so the Triathlon wouldn't be the most accurate measure of a person's fitness.

Another surprise was Bock coming in the top 5 eek: )- obviously his surfing came in handy.