SOME footballers are born to lead, others grow into the leadership role.
And then there are those who have leadership thrust upon them. Mark Ricciuto is a complex mixture of all those types. He was born to play the game and, from his formative years in the rich football nursery of the Riverland, he was always ahead of his time. He played senior footy against the men in the country ahead of his time. He was always a delight to coach and, along with long-time Crows' teammates Ben Hart and Mark Bickley, he has often been chided for being the coach's pet.