Robust Richmond ruckman Ivan Maric is renowned for his warrior-like approach when confronting opponents on the field of battle each week during the season.

Maric, however, admitted that throughout 2015 he wasn’t quite as aggressive or proactive as he would have liked.

“I suppose the harshest critics are ourselves, but it’s good when you look at it like that.  I always feel like I could have done better,” Maric told ‘Roar Vision’.

“I reckon a lot of games I went in and played really safe footy and tried not to get outmarked.

“So, (next year), I just need to get on the front foot a bit more and attack my opponents.”

Maric believes on-field aggression is a key component in Richmond’s quest to take the next step in its football journey.

“We saw it against Hawthorn (Round 18) . . . First bounce, we got on the front foot, knew what we wanted to do, and were aggressive,” he said.

“It doesn’t always have to look like that . . . But I think in the (elimination) final (v North Melbourne), we probably could have been a bit more aggressive off the ball . . .”

Notwithstanding the disappointing finish to the Tigers’ 2015 campaign, Maric is convinced they are continuing to make good progress.

“If you look at how we’ve lost the last three (elimination) finals, you might think that we’re not getting better.  But we actually are . . . we’re getting a lot better,” he said.

“And, so is everyone else.  That’s why we need to keep working hard to get better, to improve ourselves, but also get better than everyone else. 

“We’re on the right track.  I believe it and the players believe it, so do the coaches . . .

“We’ve just got to keep getting better.”