Maverick Weller Biography

Mav Weller will play in his last game as a professional footballer for Richmond in this week's VFL Grand Final after having informed his teammates of his decision to retire in recent days.

Maverick Weller will be a Tiger in 2019 after Richmond confirmed it will throw him a lifeline in the new pre-season supplemental selection period.

"We think Mav will fit into our team and our football program really well," Richmond football manager Neil Balme said.

"We've been really impressed by him, and at only 26 years of age, he has plenty of football ahead of him."

Maverick Weller is delisted by St Kilda.

"My time playing at the Saints has come to [an] end. I really want to thank the football club for letting me play the game I love so much," Weller's posted on Instagram.

"The relationships and experiences I've had at the club are ones I will never forget. Thank you to the players, who I also want to wish all the best for the next year and beyond.

Mav Weller concedes he struggled mentally with an ongoing ankle injury in 2017 but has stripped weight and is ready to return to his best form in 2018.

"It was a recurring thing in the end and it probably should have only been a three or four-week injury," Weller said.

"It was frustrating. It definitely played on my mind. I probably didn't deal with it the best each week.

"Ideally, I probably should have had a bit of time off. They're things that I can't control and I just wanted to do my bit for the team. It didn't play out the way I wanted it to but it's all good, I'm fit and healthy now."

Jarryn Geary will be the St Kilda's new captain for 2017.

Geary takes over the role from Nick Riewoldt, who was skipper for 220 games. That tally ranks Riewoldt third on the all-time list for most VFL/AFL games captained, behind Carlton's Stephen Kernahan (226) and Essendon's Dick Reynolds (224).

Riewoldt, Leigh Montagna, Sean Dempster and Sam Gilbert took themselves out of contention for the leadership group, and thus the captaincy. Those players, known as the 'four elders', make up the Saints' over-30 contingent.

"Before that vote, Montagna, Riewoldt, Gilbert and Dempster got up and said 'Don't vote for us, we're out. Time for you blokes to drive it. We think you're ready'," Saints coach Alan Richardson said.

Midfielder Seb Ross, Dylan Roberton and Josh Bruce are St Kilda's newest official leaders. They join Geary, Jack Steven, David Armitage, Jack Newnes and Maverick Weller.

"If we had six players who got lots of votes and then there was a gap, we'd have six (in the leadership group). As it turned out, we had eight, because those guys were voted in really strongly," Richardson said.

Since stepping out of the midfield, Mav Weller has thrived in a defensive-forward role for the Saints.

"Mav's got defence (in his blood) even playing as predominantly a defensive mid. It comes reasonably naturally and we wanted that in our front half," Saints coach Alan Richardson said.

"We wanted his speed, his energy and his power to put on a lot of pressure in the front half."

Weller has taken it upon himself to provide an example to a young forward line that consists of Paddy McCartin, Jade Gresham and Tim Membrey.

"I'm more down there for my leadership and guiding a young group," Weller said.

"Myself and Josh Bruce are starting to play a fair few games now, so it's about growing the group and getting the team in a position where we can play finals down the track and potentially win a flag."

Mav Weller re-signs with St Kilda for three years and says getting dumped by the Suns was the best thing that could have happened to him.

Weller did not hold back when asked about his axing from the Suns at the end of 2013, lining up the club and former coach Guy McKenna.

"I didn't believe I should have been delisted – I thought they were making a pretty big mistake, but that's for them," Weller said.

"I'm glad they made that decision. I don't believe they do things properly, to be honest with you.

"I was on edge up there. I don't feel as though a lot of the players played with fear their spot was (in danger), and that's the way I played.

"I've gone to a club that rewards hard work. You earn respect and once you've got it you've got it and I've thrived in that environment. It was a perfect match."

Mav Weller will miss the Saints' clash with Hawthorn this week after being hit with a one-game ban by the Match Review Panel.

The on-baller was cited for striking the Brisbane Lions' Rohan Bewick in Sunday's clash, with the MRP grading the contact as intentional with low impact to the head.

It drew a two-match penalty, but Weller, a member of the Saints' leadership group, was able to accept a one-match sanction with an early plea.

As Anzac Day approaches, Maverick Weller reflects on his connection to his great-great-great-grandfather on his mother's side who was Reginald Gaby – the brother of Alfred, an Australian military legend.

Gaby's story has been passed down folklore from generation to generation.

Weller said it was a story he knew about but not in great detail until late last year, when the Saints sent a group of their younger players to Canberra for a leadership camp.

A visit to the war memorial gave him the chance to further study his ancestor's legacy.

"As a family we have always been really proud of him but I never really knew a lot about him until that trip," Weller said.

"He only had a couple of bullets left, but he basically took on everyone and saved the whole platoon. He was outnumbered and it was amazing he did what he did."

Maverick Weller's remarkable turnaround in mentality and attitude has led to the St Kilda midfielder becoming a leader and role model at his second AFL club.

Once a Gold Coast discard and then a rookie at the Saints, the 23-year-old has made some monumental shifts in his approach to football to get where he is today.

"I really believe in myself. I just back myself in," Weller said.

"I think that and the way I prepare for games is probably something that has resonated with the younger group and maybe put me in a position to be in the leadership group in such a small time.

"They know I believe in what I think and I believe in them as well."

Maverick Weller is rewarded this week with a two-year contract extension that ties him to St Kilda to the end of 2016.

"I was pretty confident that I'd get an opportunity somewhere and I really wanted to get down to the Saints. They've just been fantastic since we started talking to them last year," Weller said.

"Timmy (Hazell) has just been fantastic from day dot."

Maverick Weller says he can't remember being hit as hard as he was by Collingwood's Steele Sidebottom two weeks ago in all his years of playing football.

"I've never been knocked out like that before. I didn't really know what hit me," Weller said.

"I was laying there and I got slapped on the chest by Farren [Ray] and that helped me get back into it but I wasn't ready to stand up.

"But I did and I was mess. I was seeing two and then I sort of stumbled off."

Weller said he harboured no ill feelings towards Sidebottom.

"He's actually a ripping guy. I know him through a couple of my mates and he's a fair player – it's not in his nature at all," Weller said.

"He was great. He came up to me and apologised. I don't hold any bad feelings at all towards him about it."

Lenny Hayes and Maverick Weller will miss the Saints' opening round clash with Melbourne after accepting one-match bans from the Match Review Panel.

Hayes' initial penalty for a level three striking offence – in an incident involving Greater Western Sydney midfielder Stephen Coniglio – was downgraded to a one-match sanction with an early guilty plea.

Weller, who looked set to make his Saints debut early in the season, also accepted his ban for striking the Giants' Tomas Bugg in the same game

Former Sun Maverick Weller is relishing his shift to the Saints says attending his brother's wedding instead of playing in Gold Coast's final pre-season practice match may have been the catalyst for his average 2013 season.

"It probably took myself out of selection in the first round," Weller said.

"In the end, I was the first emergency and went and played reserves and 10 minutes into the first quarter I got cleaned up and broke my scapula.

"That was another unfortunate event and then I just missed the first half of the season."

St Kilda head of football Chris Pelchen says Weller has been a welcome addition to the Saints.

"Maverick has impressed everyone since he started at the club three weeks ago," Pelchen said.

"There's no doubt that his application to his training is first-class and he's a player we not only followed in 2013, but certainly some members of staff have known Maverick for three and four years."

After being close to picking Darren Jolly in the rookie draft, St Kilda opt for midfield depth instead by selecting Maverick Weller.

"Really, Darren was still under consideration as recently as today," St Kilda head of football Chris Pelchen said.

"We hadn't cooled yesterday; he was still under consideration when the draft commenced today."

After being delisted by Gold Coast, Maverick Weller says he would love to become a Saint in 2014.

"I had a really good chat with St Kilda with (list manager) Ameet Bains. That was quite a few weeks ago now, but I had a really good feeling there. My gut feeling (is) it'd be great to go there," he told SEN radio.

"But I'm happy to go wherever. As long as the club wants me there, I'll give my 100 per cent."

Gold Coast delist five players including Max Weller, Jacob Gillbee, Kyal Horsley, Liam Patrick and Joel Wilkinson.

Campbell Brown and Mav Weller are seen to face off in a heated exchange at training which included verbal taunts.

"As far as I'm concerned that's healthy feedback and we move on," Brown said.

"We've really worked this pre-season on communication to one another. While that probably didn't look great, the message certainly got across.

"There's no hard feelings. These things happen all the time, and you take it and move on."

Gold Coast has continued to shore up its list after re-signing Mav Weller, Liam Patrick and Danny Stanley.

Kyal Horsley has also been elevated to the senior list.

Gold Coast's Maverick Weller has had interest from up to five clubs after struggling to get a game for the Suns.

"He's just seeing what opportunities are out there for him. He hasn't ruled out going back to the Suns but he just wanted to dip his toe in the water," Weller's manager Tim Hazell said.

Midfielder Maverick Weller says his family's move to the Gold Coast will help his football.

"Coming from Tasmania where it's not as populated and not as many people playing footy, I think the biggest thing was just learning to play with other good players," Weller said.

"Tassie has got some really good players but coming up here and learning to play against some quality players [was difficult], and in the AFL last year playing against some quality forwards and midfielders."

Gold Coast's Maverick Weller says the beauty of having a young group is that every player has so much improvement in them.

"I'm just trying to soak up as much information as I can and improve," he said about his own game.

"I've got the first game under my belt now, but as soon as I woke up the next morning I was ready to go again. My body was screaming, but in my head I was already thinking that I wouldn't mind doing that again."

Maverick Weller makes his AFL debut for Gold Coast at Docklands Stadium with 12 disposals (3 kicks and 9 handballs), a mark and a tackle in a 71-point loss to the Western Bulldogs.